Orange is my new favorite color
by notebook129
Summary: Heather and her mom were kidnapped by the Kraang a month ago. Heather is injured, rescued by the turtles, and brought to their lair. She begs them to teach her how to fight, hoping to somehow rescue her mother, but unfortunately, it's not that simple. And Mikey has a crush on her! He'll do anything to get her attention, but can he help her save her mom? MikeyxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Okay. Mikey is my all time favorite turtle. I'm hoping I can make a good story out of this idea. Please review! Should I continue?**

Heather's POV

My mom and I were walking down the street towards home. Everything seemed fine. Just a scientist and her teenage daughter coming home from a trip to the library. Nothing special.

My life changed that day.

As we got to a corner, a white van pulled up, with four men that all looked alike coming out of the back hatch. Okay, I've heard of quadruplets, but this is just ridiculous! One of the men grabbed mom and threw her to the ground, knocking her unconscious. He threw her into the back of the van, and all four of them started coming after me.

I did the only thing I could do. I screamed.

One of the freaky dudes pinned my arms behind my back and hit me upside the head as well. I felt myself dragged into the van before I lost consciousness.

That was a month ago.

Now, I was in a prison cell, separated from my mom, with no chance of getting out alive. I'd found out a bit about our captors. They call themselves the Kraang, and they're actually creepy brain aliens in robot bodies. Which explains why they were able to knock out my mom, the best fighter ever, in one blow. They've been capturing scientists all over New York to modify this stuff called mutagen. I've seen what this mutagen can do to people. It's a bit freaky, but I've gotten used to seeing mutants. I'm guessing that I'm reserved as a test subject.

The Kraangdroids have weird speech patterns, but if you listen close enough, you can understand them. What I've picked up is that they're looking for someone named April O'Neil, that they had a giant ship from Dimension X called the Technodrome, and that some turtles destroyed said Technodrome. How that last bit makes sense, I don't know. All I know is that they aren't planning on releasing me or my mother anytime soon.

I heard some banging outside my cell. I didn't even bother to look. It sounded like one of the mutants was attempting to escape again. I hope this one gets away; the last one got tazered, poor thing.

I heard a muffled voice from the hallway, but it wasn't the Kraang's monotone. It sounded like...a real person. "Hey, guys! I found something!" I looked up at the redtint window to see what looked like a turtle with an orange ninja bandana. He smiled. "Don't worry, you'll be out in a second, once Donnie picks the lock!"

I sighed. "Okay, whoever you are."

"My name's Michelangelo. Yours?"

"Heather."

There was a beep, and the door slid open. I saw another turtle with a purple bandana holding a few wires in his hands. "There!" He said, letting them go. "Mikey, grab her and get out of here! The reinforcements will be here any second!"

Mikey nodded, and before I knew it, he was carrying me bridal-style down the hall, dodging the Kraangs' laser blasts. I know I should've been scared. I was, after all, being carried by a mutant out of an alien lab while being shot at. But, for some reason, I didn't care. One thought kept running through my mind, one that I could barely believe.

I'm free.

Mikey and the purple turtle-he was picking the lock, so I guess that means he's Donnie-joined up with two more. The one with the blue mask was surprised. "A girl? You found a girl here?!"

The red turtle sighed. "I thought this was a _simple_ mission. Break into the Kraang facility, stop the Kraang from contacting Dimension X, bust some heads, and leave."

Donnie crossed his arms. "Just so you know, I _did_ shut down the portal, Raph. Mikey just found this girl in one of the cells! Now let's-"

That was the last thing I heard as a laser shot hit me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2's up! I still don't know if this is a good enough story to continue. Should I write more? Please review!**

Heather's POV:

I woke up in a bed. Well, that's new. It's certainly a change from that cell.

"Hey! You're awake!"

As I sat up to see Mikey, pain shot through my shoulder. I looked down to see bandages wrapped around my arm, and winced. "Geez, what happened?"

"Well, one of those Kraang dudes tried to shoot you. Actually, I think he was trying to get us both. Do those guys even aim?" He shrugged. "Well, now you're awake, so everything's great! Come on! I've got to show you around!" He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet, then led me out the door.

The red turtle-Raph, I think?-was reading a magazine with a small normal turtle on his shoulder. Blue was watching Space Heroes. My little brother Kyle likes that show. Donnie was typing on his laptop, a human girl with red hair sitting next to him. Mikey smiled. "Guys! Heather's awake!"

Donnie frowned. "Mikey, she's hurt! She needs to stay in bed!"

"Actually, I'm fine." I said. "I can understand not using my arm for a bit, but I can still walk." I sighed. "Okay, I know that this is Michelangelo, and his nickname is Mikey. Purple is nicknamed Donnie, and red is Raph, but I don't know your real names. And I know absolutely nothing about blue. Or redhead."

Blue nodded. "I'm Leonardo, but everyone calls me Leo. Raph is Raphael, and Donnie is Donatello." Leo guestured towards Redhead. "And that's April."

April waved. "Hi. So, who are you?"

I looked around, hesitant to trust these people. The turtles were mutants; what if they worked for the Kraang, like Bradford and Xever? I'm pretty sure those two only work for the Kraang because of some sort of alliance, but still. Well, my name couldn't hurt, right? "I-I'm Heather Jade, but everyone calls me Kit." Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. "Wait a sec, you said your name was April. Are you by chance April O'Neil?"

"Yeah. Why?"

I relaxed slightly. If these guys were protecting April, that means they're the turtles that brought down the Kraang ship, which means they're _definitely_ on my side. "Okay, you're the good guys."

Mikey looked at her curiously. "Wait, we saved you! Why wouldn't we be the good guys?"

"...no reason. Um...not to be rude, but where the heck am I?"

Raph smirked. "Take a wild guess."

I looked around. Cement floors, cement ceiling, no windows, pipes in the walls...that reminds me of what I used to do when I was littler. "I'm...in the sewers?"

"Bingo!"

"And it is best for you to remain here." Said a man's voice behind me. I turned around. Okay, so the four mutant turtles live with a mutant rat. The rat looked at me. "My name is Hamato Yoshi, but I am known as Master Splinter. Since you have escaped, the Kraang will no doubt be searching for you. You will need to stay hidden for the time being."

I frowned. "No can do. I'm not just going to sit around here while my mother is still being held prisoner."

Just then, a human walked into the room. One I recognized. I gasped. "Professor Kirby?!"

He looked at me. "Kit? What are you doing here? You came up on the missing child reports weeks ago!"

"Um...funny story, actually."

"Wait-" April cut in. "How do you know my dad?"

"Well, Professor Kirby and my mom worked together. I actually go to work with mom all the time, so I can work on computers all day." For some reason, Mikey's face fell a bit. I wonder why?

Kirby looked around. "Is Emily here too?"

I shook my head. "No." I looked at the turtles determinedly. "But I'm going to save her! And you guys are going to teach me how to fight!"

Leo put up his hands. "Whoa, there. Who's doing what now?"

"You, your brothers, and Master Splinter are going to teach me your ninjitsu moves."

"I do not think that is wise." Splinter said. "You are not ready."

I smirked. _Oh, am I? Just you wait._ A plan formed in my mind. Oh yes, I will learn, whether they like it or not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! ...and only one review. Seriously, I don't know if this is a good story. And it wouldn't hurt to review my other stories, either! I could use a few ideas for "Koneko-chan!"**

Heather's POV:

It's been a week since I moved in with the turtles, and I've been training in secret. Earlier I said I worked with computers, right? Well, I made a remote control activated videocam out of an old Kodak disposable camera, a VCR, and a toaster. I recorded every training session the boys had, then practiced them at night until I got it perfect.

This morning, however, I planned to show off. That's sort of a new thing for me; normally I'm shy, quiet, and plotting. I walked into the dojo to observe like normal. It was a one-on-one match on both halves of the room. Raph vs. Mikey, Donnie vs. Leo. They were fighting awesomely; Leo had already lost a Katana, but he was busy slicing up Donnie's Bo with his other one. Mikey was advancing on Raph with his agility, but as soon as he saw me, he started acting ridiculous, trying to pull off physically impossible moves.

Leo and Raph stood ready to face off. Donnie and Mikey sat on either side of me. The purple clad ninja was cross, and Mikey was making no sense at all. "Hey, Kit."

"Yeah?" I replied turning towards him. As soon as I did, his eyes got a far-off look.

"Topaz..." He muttered.

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He snapped back to the real world. "Sorry! I was just...um..."

"Daydreaming?"

"Yeah. Daydreaming." He stared at the ground awkwardly for a minute. "Um...what's your favorite color?" He asked, trying to distract me from the mess up he just did.

I smiled. "Green."

Mikey's POV:

Dangit! What kind of a person randomly says "topaz" in the middle of a conversation?! I just wanted to hide in my shell in embarrassment right then, but that would be even more embarrassing than the gemstone screw-up. I stared at the ground again, and closed my eyes.

I went into another daydream right then. I was nineteen, all grown up, and in a tuxedo in front of an altar. I looked down the church isle to see a girl in a wedding dress walking up. I already knew who it was. As she came up beside me, I lifted the veil to see Heather's beautiful honey gold eyes twinkling like stars. She was stunning. She loved me.

And she was mine.

I opened my eyes, and sighed. _Yeah, like that'll happen._

"Yame!" Splinter's voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see Leo on the ground, his Katanas out of reach.

Raph smirked. "I win again!"

"Hold on just a minute." I was shocked to hear that come from Heather. She stood up. "I challenge Raph to a fight!"

Splinter sent her a warning look, but Raph nodded. "I accept. Bring it, girly."

Heather took Donnie's Bo staff. He looked up at her. "Hey!"

"Sorry, Donnie, but I need this."

As she walked up, Donnie sighed. "There goes another stick..."

Heather and Raph took their positions. I saw that dangerous look in Raph's eyes, and gasped._ Kit's going to get creamed!_

Leo sat where Heather had just been. He was shocked. "I can't believe she just challenged Raph!"

"Neither can I, man." I said. "Neither can I."

"Miss Heather." Splinter said. "Raphael is an experienced fighter. You are not even a novice kunoichi. Please, reconsider." I closed my eyes and crossed two of my fingers on both hands, praying that she would.

"Sorry, sensei. I'm not backing down." Heather held the Bo in a fighting position, much like Donnie. Raph brought out his sai.

"You know, Kit, I'm not going to go easy on you because you're a girl, or because you aren't trained. You still want to fight me?"

"Bring it, hotshot."

Splinter sighed. "Hajime!"

I closed my eyes and covered my face with my hands. I'm not going to watch Heather get beat up. I heard the sounds of metal on wood, and winced. _Poor Kit..._

*WHACK!*

A wooden pole rolled to my feet, which Donnie picked up. "Not broken..." I heard him whisper.

Dangit, Heather's defenseless! She's a goner!

*THUMP!*

*CLANG!*

"Yame!"

I heard Leo and Donnie gasp, and cautiously peered through my fingers, expecting the worst. What I saw blew my mind.

Heather had pinned Raph to the ground.

What's more, my bro looked like he was _seriously_ beat!

Splinter walked over to her with a smile on his face, and she released my hotheaded older brother. Sensei smiled. "You have done well. I trust that your toaster camera is working?"

Heather paled. "You knew?"

"Of course. My room is right there." He said, pointing to his door.

I looked around. "Toaster camera?" Then something suspended in the tree caught my eye. It looked like a 2-dollar Kodak camera and a toaster had a baby. A very weird baby. Donnie had apparently noticed it, too.

"You spied on our training, then practiced when we weren't here?"

"...yes."

"That's amazing! How did you make that?!"

"Well, I used a VCR's data recorder and..." She began talking about stuff I had no clue about. I sighed. She is so cool.

Hey, maybe we can have her and Donnie work together to upgrade the Shellraiser!


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter 4. Please, will someone review?! I don't care if it's just to tell me that the story sucks! I'm still at only one review!**

Mikey's POV:

I ran into the living room. Maybe I could ask Heather to do something with me before-

Nope. Too late. As usual.

Heather sat on the couch, typing on the computer Donnie and her built. It's been a week since she pummeled Raph (I've been teasing him about that for awhile. Big tough Raph got beat by an injured girl! Hah!), and every morning after training, I find her on that computer of hers. I don't even bother asking what she's doing. It's either going to be something girly, like shopping, or something Donatello-y, like physics. That's what computers are for, right?

I sighed and started playing video games on a Wii that April bought for us. Maybe if I wait it out, I can catch her on a free moment.

* * *

_Three hours later_

Okay, that's it. I can't keep beating Special Cup on Mariokart forever! But how can I get her attention? Um...Donnie! I'm new to this love stuff, but he isn't!

Wait, that means I have to tell him.

Oh well. I can blackmail him by telling him that I'll tell April. He'll be quiet after that.

I turned off the Wii and walked into Donnie's lab. "Hey, Donnie!"

Donnie jumped, then glared at me. "Mikey, what have I told you about coming in here?!"

"Dude, chill! I'm not gonna touch your science-y stuff!"

"That's what you said last time."

"Yeah, well...this time I really mean it!"

"Yeah, right. Get out."

I crossed my arms. "You're not listening to me, so no." I can be stubborn if I want to.

Donnie sighed. "What is it this time, Mikey?"

I sat down next to him after making sure the door was closed. Since there's a bunch of explosions in here, Donnie soundproofed his lab. "Donnie, I need some advice, and you're the only one who can help me."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing! It's just, you're the only one who's done this stuff before."

"What?"

"If you tell anyone, I'll tell April about your crush on her, AND tell Raph who stole his last package of Oreos, got it?"

Donnie's eyes widened and he nodded. Good, he won't tell. I took a deep breath. "I have a crush on Kit, and I need a way to get her attention. She's always on that computer, so I can't ever ask her to come hang out with me. Any ideas?"

My big bro stared at me. "You? In love?"

I rolled my eyes. "That's what I just said. I thought you were the smart one and I was the clueless one."

"But you're just a kid!"

"I'm the same age as you."

"Maturity-wise, shell-for-brains!"

"Hey!" I said. "I can like a girl if I want to! Now tell me how I can get Kit's attention!"

Donnie smiled at me. "Ask her what she's doing on the computer. Help her out with it."

My eyes were white circles. "You're kidding! Physics and girl-shopping is almost as bad as polka!"

"...is that what you think she does on there?"

"Well, yeah. She hangs out with you, and she's a girl, so, yeah."

Donnie started laughing hysterically. I frowned. "What's so funny?"

"Mikey, you're in for the surprise of your life! You want her attention, ask her to show you what she's doing. If it's physics and shopping, you can have my collection of Dark Ninja comics."

My eyes widened. "Really?!"

"Only if it's physics or shopping, though!"

* * *

Heather's POV:

I was busy typing on my computer, like normal, when Mikey came and sat next to me. That's weird. Normally he stays away while I'm on. I think he hates computers or something. "Hi, Mikey!"

"Hi, Kit. Um...whatcha doing?"

I sighed. "Computers. You wouldn't like it."

Mikey looked at my screen. "It doesn't look like science or shopping."

"Of course not!" I said, frowning. "I hate that stuff!"

"...really?"

"Yeah! I barely make a C in my science class, and I can't _stand _girly stuff."

"Well then, what do you do on this thing?"

I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. This was the first time anyone had actually bothered to ask, except my mom. "Um...I...make video games..." I barely managed to squeak out. I waited for Mikey to laugh or say 'seriously?' or just walk away. Instead, his sky blue eyes shone.

"Really?! That is so cool!"

"Y-you really think so?"

"Heck yeah! You've gotta show me!"

I gave a small smile and clicked on a few things. "It's called Spear Girl, and it's about this girl named Ivy. This is what she looks like." I showed him a picture of her. She wore a green and yellow tunic, combat boots, and a green beret. She held a spear with a sakura blossom engraved on it, and had striking blue eyes and perfect brown hair. In short, she looked awesome. "I've already made her sprite sheet."

"What's a sprite sheet?"

"I'll show you." I clicked on another document and it pulled up a bunch of Ivy sprites, each in a different pose. "I make these so that I can put them together when I make the game" I pulled up her different animated sequences.

Mikey stared at the little Ivy sprite that was slashing her spear. "That is so awesome! So, what are you doing now?"

I crossed my arms. "I'm currently making the character dialogue, but I'm having trouble with the storyline."

Mikey looked back at me. "Can I help?"

"Well, I don't know..."

"Please?!" He knelt on the ground in front of me, giving me puppy dog eyes and clasping his hands together.

I sighed, and smiled. "How could I say no to a face like that?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh no, the turtles are sick! And Mikey's the worst of all! What's he going to say during his fever? Please review!**

Heather's POV:

Great. It's my third week here, and all of a sudden, all four of the boys are sick. Which means April and I are the ones who have to take care of them.

I walked into the kitchen. "Is the soup done yet?"

"Almost!" April said. "Just need someone to taste test!"

I walked up do the pot and took a deep breath. "That smells really good! Maybe once we give some to the boys, we could have a bit for us." I took a spoon and tasted it, then looked at April. I sighed. "Girl, you need to open a restaurant or something. This is _way _better than I could do it."

"So it's good?"

"Good is an understatement."

"Alright then." She ladled the soup into bowls and handed one to me. "This one's for Raph. I'll go take Leo's. Okay?"

I nodded, then walked over to Raph's room. I stepped in. "Raph, I brought soup!"

The red ninja groaned. "Took you long enough. *cough, cough* Been hungry all *cough* morning."

"Well, if that's how you're going to be about it, I'll eat this myself."

Raph's eyes widened, and I laughed. "Just kidding. Have you tried to sit up?"

"Every time I do, I get a migraine." He said in a hoarse voice. I sighed, sat on the edge of the bed, and lifted his head into my lap.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Giving you soup. You said you can't sit up, and I'm not giving it to you laying down."

"Why *cough* not?"

"You'll choke. Don't worry, this is how I do it with my siblings, too." I said, lifting the spoon to his mouth.

"Hey! This is really good! Give my compliments to the chef!"

I smiled. "Okay. I'll tell April you liked it."

"Wait...April made this?"

"Who'd you think made it?"

"Splinter."

I shook my head. "Nope. He's sick too, but Professor Kirby's taking care of him."

Once he finished the bowl, I set him back down on his pillow. "Alright, Raph. You get some rest, okay?"

"...kay." He mumbled sleepily.

I walked back to the kitchen and met up with April. "Leo's done?"

"Yep! Now for the other two. I'll take Mikey, you take Donnie."

I paused. Donnie has a crush on April, right? "Hold on. You should go to Donnie. He likes you better."

April sighed. "I know. He's my best friend, but I can't leave you with Mikey. That guy's a handful!"

"I'll be fine, trust me. You go to Donnie, and I'll handle sugar rush boy."

"Okay. I hope you know what you're doing."

I grabbed Mikey's bowl and headed off for his room. I knocked. "Mikey? You awake?"

"*cough, cough* yeah..." Geez, he sounded worse than Raph! I pushed the door open.

"Mikey, I brought soup!"

He smiled at me and attempted to sit up, but fell back down with a dull thud. "Ow..."

I sat on the edge of his bed. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Me and Pat were just talking."

"Pat?"

He nodded and pointed to the empty corner of his bed. "The leprechaun over there."

Okay, he's delusional. I pulled out a thermometer I'd brought with me just in case, and frowned. "Alright, Mikey, say 'ah'."

"Ah..."

I stuck the thermometer under his tounge and he shut his mouth. After it beeped, it took it out.

Holy crap! 105.2!

Stay calm, Heather. Freaking out will only make him freak out. Higher blood pressure means higher temperature.

Mikey looked up at me. "You're really pretty, Kit."

"T-thanks..." Delusional. Completely delusional.

He frowned in deep thought. "But, you know, you'd look prettier in a white dress holding a bunch of flowers."

I was startled. What was he talking about? You wouldn't think a guy like him would be into dresses, much less flowers. "Fever must be worse than I thought..." I muttered.

"Could you look at me, please?"

I looked at him, his sky blue eyes shining in the dim light of his room. He smiled, showing dimples. "You know, your eyes look like topazes."

"Thanks?"

"I like topazes."

I rolled my eyes. "Alright Mikey. Do you want soup or no?"

"Yes please!"

I propped his head up just like I did with Raph. He looked up at me curiously. "Do you have any brothers or sisters, Kit?"

"Yeah." I started feeding him the soup. "I'm the oldest of nine, actually. The second oldest is Kyle. He's 13, and he likes Space Heroes just as much as Leo does. Amy is next. She's 11, and tries to act bossy to everyone, but she's a total girly-girl. Then there's Jason. He's 9, and he loves building with Legos and machinery and stuff. Paul and Krysten are 8-year-old fraternal twins, and they sometimes pull pranks together. Then there's the 7-year-old twins, Jessica and Jennnifer. They purposely trick people in to thinking one is the other. There's Cameron, he's 3 and a trouble-maker, then there's James. James is turning one this year." He finished the soup, and I set the bowl on the floor. "Now, you just get some rest and-"

"No!" Mikey interrupted. "Please don't leave me Kit! I like it when you're around!"

I sighed. Poor guy... "Alright, I'll stay."

"Thanks, Kit."

He turned over so that his plastron was flat on the bed, and began to fall asleep. I started rubbing his back.

"Not that way..." He mumbled, half awake.

"Huh?"

"Don't do it that way..."

Oh, the back-rub. "How do you like it, then?"

"...between the hexagon-thingies...don't remember what Donnie calls 'em...right on the lines..."

I shrugged, then started tracing the hexagonal shell plates with my fingers. "Like that?"

"Mmm-hmm..."

I continued like that, and he fell sound asleep. Just then, Donnie and April walked in. April smiled. "Great news! Donnie's all better!"

I put a finger to my lips. "Sh-h-h! He's sleeping!" I whispered. "Not good news, Mikey's delusional and running a 105.2"

Donnie's eyes widened. "I'll take it from here, Kit. You go with April and wash up before you catch it, too."

I sighed, set Mikey down, and walked out, leaving Donnie to take care of his brother. Once we were out, April tried not to laugh. "Mikey was delusional? What did he see?"

"Well, apparently there's a leprechaun named Pat that's hanging out in his bedroom right now, and for some reason he keeps picturing me in a dress. Holding flowers."

April laughed. "Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of his."

Yeah. I'm starting to wonder too. White dress? Then it dawned on me.

Wedding dress?


	6. Chapter 6

**Everyone's recovered from the sickness, but Mikey's worried about what he said when he was feverish. He's been avoiding Heather for a couple days now. Please review! I live off reviews!**

Mikey's POV:

Okay, I am officially freaked out.

I know what I said during the fever; I remember everything up to the dress. And now I'm sure I have no chance with Heather. What the heck was I thinking?! Telling her she was pretty wasn't that bad, but a white dress and flowers?! I know she put two and two together on that one!

Heather walked into the room with her laptop. "Mikey! I got news! Our video game's almost done; I just need to put in a few tweaks and BOOM! Spear girl is gonna rock!"

I smiled. "T-that's great, Kit. Totally."

"Something wrong?"

Dangit, I'm such a bad liar! "No...sorry, I gotta go!" I grabbed my skateboard and ran off.

* * *

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I said, banging my head against the wall with each word. "I" BANG "am such" BANG "a moron!"

I slumped against the wall and hugged my knees to my plastron. I remember a few things that I heard from before. Now they really have meaning to them.

_I was tied up. Rad Brad had betrayed me. "I thought we were friends!" I said. "I introduced you to all my toes!"_

_He laughed. "You really thought someone like me could be friends with a freak like you?" He and Xever started walking away. Xever smirked and grabbed Bradford's Katana._

_"Should we finish him now?"_

_"Nothing would make me happier, but we need him alive. All part of the trap."_

I sighed. He's not the only one who thinks I'm a freak.

_"Don't give up, Leo! You might actually win this fight!" Raph teased. I pushed Donnie out of the way and grabbed the kitten._

_"Aww...it's a kitty! And its name is..."_

_"Mittens!"_

_I read the nametag. "Good guess. Wait, who said that?"_

_"Mittens!" We all turned to see a man calling out his window._

_Donnie spoke up. "I think that's the owner...What are you doing?!" He said as I started to run towards the man. Raph and Leo joined in._

_"Hey, Mikey, wait!"_

_"Whoa, hey!"_

_I stopped and turned around, confused. "What? I'm returning Mittens to her owner."_

_"Are you an idiot?!" Raph yelled. "Wait, let me rephrase that. You're an idiot!"_

_"You can't show yourself to a human!" Donnie said._

_"Why not?"_

_"Because they'll freak the heck out, that's why not!"_

_I shook my head. "No they won't. I'm not so scary."_

_Raph frowned. "You're an ugly, green mutant armed with ninja weapons."_

_"Look. This guy's gonna see that I'm just a regular, cat loving dude like him! Next thing you know, we'll be best buds!" I jumped down to the man's balcony/fire escape, and I'm pretty sure the guys were calling my name. I smiled. "Hi! Here's your-"_

_"AAH!" The man screamed. "Ugly green mutant freak!"_

_I took a step back. "Whoa, dude, chill! I have your cat!"_

_"Help! He's got my cat!" Man that dude is thick! Mittens turned around and started scratching my shell, and I fell off the fire escape. My bros all jumped down from the roof. I turned around, the cat still on my back. "Someone wanna help me with this?"_

_They all crossed their arms. "No."_

_I sighed, and pulled off the cat._

_"Face it." Raph said. "Humans will never understand you! Heck, we don't even understand you!"_

"And with good reason, too." I said aloud. "What kind of a guy tells a girl she would look pretty in a wedding dress?! Kit probably hates me now..."

"No I don't."

I jerked my head up too quickly, hitting it on the wall. "Ow..." Next thing I knew, Heather was next to me. I looked at her. "Y-you don't?"

She smiled and shook her head. "'course not!"

"But, I said you'd look good in a wedding dress."

"You also said there was a leprechaun named Pat sitting on your bed. You were sick, that's all."

I rubbed the back of my head nervously. "What else did I say? It's kinda fuzzy past the dress..."

Heather sighed. "You said my eyes looked like topazes, and then you got kinda clingy."

I gulped. "How?"

"Well, you wouldn't let me leave you until you were asleep. But, you know what the craziest thing you said was the entire time?"

"What?" Okay, I'm scared now.

"You said I was pretty."

I was shocked. "How is that crazy?"

Heather smiled. "Well, for one, I'm definitely _not _pretty. My hair never stays put, I never wear makeup, and I'm always in sweats. Two, I've never been asked out in my life."

_Really?! NEVER?! _"Their loss." _Geez, I can't believe I just said that aloud!_

Heather giggled. "Thanks, Mikey. You always know how to get me to smile. Now...turn around for a minute."

I shot her a confused look, then turned around so my shell was facing her. Then I felt her soft hand tracing the hexagon thingies that make up my shell. I tensed. "K-kit?!"

She pulled her hand back. "Does that hurt?"

"N-no...I'm just not used to it..."

"Oh." She went back to doing it, and I gradually relaxed.

"That...feels really good..." I said quietly. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

She giggled. "You told me. I was rubbing your back when you were sick, and you told me to go on the lines between your shell plates."

I was silent as she brought that up again. She paused. "Something bothering you?"

"N-no..."

"You, sir, are an awful liar." She bent down closer to my ear. "You know you can tell me anything, right? 'Cause your my BFF."

"Huh?"

"Best friend forever." She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me.

My cheeks turned scarlet. Heather's my friend...my _best _friend, even. AND SHE'S HUGGING ME OH MY GOSH!


	7. Chapter 7

**Heather's a kunoichi! YAY! Oh, and if you've never watched Moribito, you should. You don't need to but you should. Just in case you haven't...**

**Balsa-master of the short spear, heroine of the series**

**Mon-leader of the hunters; advanced fighting capabilities**

**Karta-master of the double-ended spear, has a vendetta for Balsa, and has some serious anger issues**

**Toya-errand-runner, protects Saya all the time (also has crooked teeth, which reminds me of Donnie)**

**Saya-beautiful beggar girl, has a secret crush on Toya**

**Tanda-herbalist, calm, quiet, and very smart, apprentice magic weaver**

**Please review! And review by starting with "Dear Mikey's girlfriend" If you've heard of Moribito!**

Heather's POV:

I ran around the room, hyper as ever. "ICANTBELIEVEITICANTBELIEVEITICANTBELIEVEIT!" Just then Mikey burst in, and I tried my best to avoid running into him. As I tried jumping at the last minute, I tripped on a pizza box and-

Ended up in Mikey's arms?!

I gasped. "Ack! I'msosorryMikeyIwasn'tlookingwhereIwasgoingbutyou' llneverguesswhathappenedtoday!"

It took him a minute to comprehend what I was saying. "What happened?"

"MASTERSPLINTER'SGOINGTOLETMEBEAFULL-RANKKUNOICHI! SQUEEEEEEE!" I squirmed out of his grasp and landed on my feet. Raph, on the couch with a magazine, rolled his eyes.

"Geez, calm down. April wasn't this hyped up. You been having coffee or something?"

I glared, but Mikey smiled. "Nope! She's got kunoichi-itis." He said, laughing.

I looked at him cheerfully. Y'know, I never noticed his dimples before. As our eyes met, I frowned, and pushed him away. "No. I'm mad. Stop distracting me with your cuteness."

"Sorry-wait, you think I-I'm-"

I didn't quite hear him as I marched up to Raph. "You wanna rematch, spaghetti?"

Raph glared. "For the last time, my mask does _not _look like spaghetti sauce and my sais are _not _forks!"

"Yeah, yeah. I want revenge." A gave him a positively evil smirk, and although he tried to hide it, I could tell he was nervous. Here's why:

Revenge 1: Water balloons

Revenge 2: Shell painted pink

Revenge 3: Mask turned pink

Revenge 4: Pictures of him kissing Spike's forehead on everyone's caller ID for him

Revenge 5: Tricked into thinking Spike touched mutagen

Revenge 6: Replacing his comics with Hello Kitty

Revenge 7: Disguised algae and worms as pizza

Revenge 8: Locked in a pink room (Geez, I didn't know he hated pink so much!)

Revenge 9: Convinced Leo to give him note from Karai saying she loved him

Revenge 10: Put nyan cat as every one of his ringtones

Revenge 11:...you get the picture.

I sighed. "But Sir Michelangelo hath saved thee by accepting thy cruel fate for himself. Brave, noble brother you have there, Raph." I turned towards Mikey, and he started backing away.

"W-wait! I didn't agree to anything!"

"You volunteered."

"Did not!"

"Well, consider yourself voluntold."

He panicked. "H-hey! Kit, we're BFFs, remember? You wouldn't do anything horrible to little ol' Mikey, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Very well. Because you're my best friend, and because I'm an official kunoichi today, I will lighten your punishment." I took a few steps back, then jumped on him and tackled him to the floor. "TICKLEPOUNCE!"

* * *

Mikey's POV:

I _barely _escaped that ticklepounce alive! She knows where all the sensitive spots are!

But now was exciting. I was kneeling on the floor by the wall while Heather chose her weapon. Everyone else was busy doing...whatever it was they were doing, but I'm going to be here for my BFF aka FCE (First Crush Ever)!

Heather tried Katanas like Leo's first.

Nope.

Sai?

Nope.

Mace?

_Definitely _not.

Nunchucks?

I wish, but she hit herself in the head with them.

She grabbed a Bo like Donnie's and tried it out. I remembered how good she was two weeks ago when she creamed Raph. She was _awesome! _Right when I thought she was about to say yes, she shook her head.

"Sensei, it still feels like something's missing."

Splinter smiled. "Ah. I think I know the perfect weapon for you." He walked to his room, and came out with a short spear. Heather tested it out.

"Perfect!"

I grinned. "Hey, Kit! You're just like Ivy now, huh?"

She nodded, but crossed her arms. "But I intend to become as good as Balsa."

What now? She must've read the confused look on my face. She rested her spear on her shoulder, grabbed me, and dragged me to the living room. As soon as she was there, she switched the TV from Space Heroes to the DVD player. Leo frowned. "Hey!"

"What? You've watched that one a million times, and I'm pretty sure everyone else wants to watch something new." She pulled her laptop from underneath the entertainment center and plugged it in. We all sat on the couch, and she leaned on my shoulder. I blushed.

Heather picked up the remote and smiled. "Guys, get ready for Moribito!"

* * *

Heather's POV:

As we ran along the rooftops (YAY! MY FIRST PATROLIE!) they were all imitating people from Moribito. Leo had even called it his second favorite show, and was now calling himself Mon. I got to name everyone else. I, of course, was Balsa. Raph was Karta (the double-ended spear weilder in _Neither human nor Tiger_), Donnie was Toya, April was Saya, and Mikey was Tanda. Everyone was surprised that I chose sweet, calm, sensible Tanda as Mikey's character, but I explained. "Balsa and Tanda are best friends, and they go through a lot together. And besides, Tanda's AWESOME!"

Mikey blushed. "Why?"

I facepalmed. "Right. You just got to the episode when they first move into the watermill. Raph doesn't even recognize his character yet."

Raph crossed his arms. "He'd better be tough."

"Oh, Karta's tough alright. And he tries to kill Balsa." Raph looked at me suspiciously. I smiled. "I chose him because the two of you have near identical personalities...when you're mad. He doesn't have any soft spots. And he fights to kill."

Suddenly, Donnie looked at his T-phone. He frowned. "Guys, I hooked up a scanner to my T-phone and check out what I found!" Then he snapped his fingers. "Oh! Forgot...Kit-"

"Ahem!"

"_Balsa, _Here's your T-phone."

I smiled. "Aw, sweet! Thanks, Toya!" I said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. I heard Mikey gasp, and I saw him staring at Donnie with...jealousy? Why would Tanda be jealous of Toya? That's completely new!

Donnie looked back at his T-phone, completely unfazed. Good. I didn't want him getting any romantic ideas about me. He is _totally _made for April! "Well, apparently there's a weak signal coming from a nearby building. I'll hack into it."

I walk over to Mikey, who's staring at the ground, depressed. "What's wrong, Tanda?"

"...you kissed Toya."

"What?"

"You kissed Toya on the cheek. But I'm your best friend!"

I rolled my eyes. "Is that it? If it helps, I kissed _all_ the guys' cheeks, even Splinter's."

"But what about me?"

I smiled. "You get the most, actually. I do it to them when they give me something or teach me something or I just want to earn brownie points. You, my friend, are cutest when you're asleep. That's when you get yours. But, if it makes you feel any better..." I kissed Mikey on the cheek, and he turned beet red. "There's your medicine, herbalist."

* * *

Mikey's POV:

I...just...got...a...kiss...from...Heather...

IVENEVERBEENSOHAPPYBEFOREINMYENTIRELIFE!

I was snapped out of my daze as Donnie's T-phone beeped. "Got it!" We all crowded over to take a look.

I saw the letters SOS made by something familiar. "No way..." I whispered.

Ivy's spear from our video game. I looked at Heather, and she looked ready to cry.

"Mom..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright! Operation save Prof. Jade! And who is the ingenious mastermind behind this daring plan? Mikey of course! Please review! PLEASE!**

**Oh, yeah, the Moribito thing? That's their code names.**

Heather's POV:

My mom...she's actually here! I looked at the boys. "Well?! Are we just going to sit around and do nothing?!"

Leo crossed his arms. "Kit-"

"*cough* Use codename! *cough*"

"Balsa, we can't just rush in there. It's a Kraang base. We need a plan."

I glared. "Alright, Mon, here's the plan. We bust in there, smash the Kraangdroids, get my mom, and leave."

"I mean a _real _plan."

Mikey raised his hand. "I've got a plan."

Raph rolled his eyes. "Can it, Tanda."

"No, really!"

"No, really! I don't want to hear it!"

"It's a good plan!"

"You never have any good plans!"

"How do you know until you listen to me?!"

Leo sighed. "Alright, Tanda, let's hear it."

Mikey smiled. "Okay, so here's how it works. Mon and Karta will go and bust their way into the main system area and get rid of the Kraang there. Then Toya will find out where Professor Jade's cell is once he hacks into the systems, then short out the cameras. Mon, you'll go to the opposite side of the building and hit the alarm button. Karta, you'll guard the controls while Toya, Balsa and I go to Professor Jade's cell. Toya will pick the lock, then I'll contact you via T-phone, and we all escape with a couple of smoke bombs."

The boys stared at him with white circles for eyes, but I smiled knowingly. "Level 13: Obsidian's castle. Nice, Tanda, nice." We 3/5d

Donnie looked at me confusedly. "What the heck are you talking about?!"

"Spear Girl." Mikey and I said simultaneously.

Leo nodded. "Plan sounds good. Thanks, Mikey."

"Tanda!"

"Tanda."

* * *

Leo's POV:

Okay, I've gotta admit that Mikey's plan did seem foolproof.

Which is absolutely weird.

Raph and I got to the front door of the Kraang building, looked at each other, and drew our weapons.

"You ready, Karta?'

"You bet. And, just so you know, my codename is way better than yours."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on."

Raph jump-kicked through the doors, and we started fighting our way through.

* * *

Raph's POV:

It was a routine. Kick, jump, stab, kick, jump, stab. Soon enough, we got to the main room. I smirked at Fearless. "Well, Mon? You want to do the honors?"

Leo grinned. "With pleasure." He took a few steps back, and charged at the door. It bust open immediately-

-with thirty plus Kraang in there.

They started firing at us, and we ran for cover. I shouted across the hall to Leo. "I guess this means we have to call it off then?!"

"Hang on! I have an idea!"

He grabbed a gun from a fallen Kraang and started shooting. I facepalmed. "Great. That's never been done before."

Then Leo did something that surprised me. He pointed the gun at the ceiling directly over the Kraangs' heads...robots...whatever. They all got crushed under a pile of rubble. He looked at me. "Call Toya. We're ready."

* * *

Donnie's POV:

Mikey, Heather and I waited patiently for the signal. I glanced at them. Mikey kept sneaking glances at her, then turning away red in the face. And Heather was completely oblivious. Please tell me I'm not like that around April! ...I am, aren't I?

_Dun-din-dan-din-dun-didan-din (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!)_

I picked up my T-phone. "Are we in?"

_"Oh yeah, you're in! Get your tail down here!"_

I looked at the two teens behind me. "We're in! I'll call you when we're ready, okay?"

"Kay!"

"Gotcha!"

I jumped down and ran into the Kraang base. As I neared the center, I stopped in my tracks. A huge piece of ceiling had come down, burying at least forty Kraang. Leo and Raph were standing on top. Raph smirked. "Well? What do you think?"

I rolled my eyes. "Now is _not_ the time to show off!" I pushed past him and started fiddling with the Kraangs' controls.

Let's see...surveillance cams...now, which captive looks like Heather? ...do-de-do-de-do...got it! I quickly sent maps of the facility to everyone's T-phone, with the red blip being Professor Jade. I then texted Mikey.

* * *

Mikey's POV:

_Da-da-da-da-doo-bop...dee-da-lee (Heroes in a Half-Shell, TURTLE POWER!)_

I looked at my text message.

_-Tanda_

_Found where Prof. Jade is. She's the red dot. Meet me there._

_-Toya_

"Well, that's a short text." I pulled up the map. "Come on, Balsa. Toya found your mom!"

Heather's grim face instantly brightened. "Let's go!"

We ran in, following the map (See? Video games _do _pay off!) until we spotted Donnie picking a lock. "Almost got it..."

Suddenly, the alarms went off. I put my hands up. "I didn't do it!"

He rolled his eyes. "That was Mon. He set off the alarm on the other side of the base."

"Right. I knew that."

"Sure..."

Suddenly, the door clicked open, and we saw a 38-year-old woman chained up in a corner. Heather gasped. "MOM!" She ran up to hug her-

-only to go right through her. She looked around. "W-what?"

The image of Mrs. Jade disappeared in a flash of light. I stepped back. "What the?!"

Donnie gasped. "A hologram!"

"The one known as Heather Jade has fallen into the trap of Kraang that was set for the one known as Heather Jade by Kraang." Said a creepy voice behind me. Donnie and I spun around, only to be knocked senseless by those stupid robots.

* * *

Heather's POV:

"MIKEY! DONNIE!"

I called for my fallen friends, but they were out cold. Those Kraang started walking towards me with that evil look in their, uh, optics. I'm not about to get captured that easily again!

I spun my spear the way Donnie taught me, and then made a slash at them. Two down, four to go. Suddenly, the weapon was shot out of my hand. The Kraang in front loomed over me. "The one known as Heather Jade will come with Kraang to the place that is the place for experimentation with the unstable mutagen." He grabbed my arm and twisted it painfully, causing me to scream.

"GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU CREEPS!"

A curved blade cut through the Kraangdroid, and it fell, the Kraang scurrying to get away. Mikey was back on his feet, and dangerous. "ANYBODY HURTS HEATHER, THEY DEAL WITH HAMATO MICHELANGELO!"

He began beating up the Kraang with something I had never seen in him before.

I didn't like it. It wasn't him. I don't like seeing good-natured, happy-go-lucky Mikey with it.

Rage.

Pure, unbridled rage.

As he finished off the last one, he rushed over to me. "Heather!"

I looked up at him hesitantly. All traces of the fury he had just went through were gone, and his sky blue eyes sparkled with worry. He looked...scared, actually. "You okay?!"

I gave a shaky nod. "Y-yeah, Mikey...I-I'm fine."

Mikey helped me to my feet as Donnie woke up. The purple ninja looked at the droids on the floor. "Dude, what did you do in the last sixty seconds?!"

He shrugged. "Booyakasha?"

Just then, another Kraangdroid showed up. "Halt."

Mikey glared, and in one swift move tackled it to the ground and had his kusarigama blade between the alien's eyes. "Alright, I'm going to ask you this once, and once only." His eyes narrowed. "Where is Heather's mother?" He said through gritted teeth.

The Kraang panicked, and the robot body began speaking. "The one known as Emily Jade has been moved to the base that is the minor Kraang base in the city known as Los Angeles."

Mikey took his blade and shorted out the main circuits, and the Kraang scurried away in terror.

I gasped. "L.A.?!"


	9. Chapter 9

**The real adventure begins! Please review! Mikey is begging you with kawaii puppy dog eyes to review! (And you can't resist a face like that!)**

Heather's POV:

It's really late. I've been thinking all day about what the Kraang said, and I only have one option.

I have to leave.

It's going to be sad, leaving the boys. We've grown pretty close over the past month, and Mikey seems really attatched to me. I hope they can all forgive me.

I wrote a note, took my ninja stuff, laptop, and T-phone, and was about to walk off, when suddenly I heard music. Donnie once mentioned that Mikey breakdances when the boys are home alone. I grabbed my T-phone, set it on videocam, and peeked into the living room to start recording.

Donnie was right. Mikey was completely _amazing _on that dance floor! I'm really glad Donnie makes good quality gear; I'm getting all of this in HD!

Once the song ended, Mikey sat down for a break. I sighed. He's the one I'll miss the most. I picked up my gear, re-packed my T-phone, and started to walk off, when a voice stoped me in my tracks.

"Kit?"

* * *

Mikey's POV:

I thought I heard someone in the kitchen... "What are you doing up so late? And why do you look like you're about to travel cross country?"

Heather looked at the ground, but she didn't say anything. I spotted a note on the table.

_Dear Everyone,_

_I'm sorry you have to find out like this, but I'm leaving. The Kraang have my mom locked up, and I plan to rescue her._

_Splinter: I know you wouldn't approve of this, but my mom is my only parent left. I will not lose her, no matter if I have to walk around the world a million times. Please try to understand._

_Professor Kirby: I know you would side with Splinter on this one, but I can't let my mom get killed by Kraang. You know how attached I was to my dad, so you know why I can't pass this up._

_April: I'm really going to miss you, gal-pal. But you know what it's like to have your only parent stolen from you. You would have gone across the country, too._

_Leonardo: Please try not to fight with Raph so much. You two are supposed to be brothers, not enemies. I'll miss you Captain Ryan._

_Raphael: Same goes for you. I hate it when you and Leo fight. You work so well together as a team! Miss you, spaghetti._

_Donatello: Don, I'm leaving Moribito in your care, because you're the only one I know that's careful enough not to scratch the disks. I really hope Toya gets Saya._

The last one was me. And mine was really long!

_Michelangelo: I'm going to miss you the most, Mikey. You've been the nicest to me out of everyone. We had the best times together, like our revenge on Raph, and making the Spear Girl game. For some reason you've always had that skateboard around you, though I've never actually seen you ride it. And Donnie says you're good at breakdancing. I wish we'd had more time so you could've taught me how to do that. I'm sorry Tanda, but you're going to have to wait awhile before Balsa comes back from evading the manhunt. You were the best friend I've ever had._

_Thank you to everyone for letting me stay here._

_Heather Minka Jade_

_P.S. Donnie, don't even think about tracking my T-phone. I disabled the tracker._

I looked at Heather wide eyed. "Y-you're leaving?!"

She nodded sadly. "I'm going to go save my mom, even if it kills me."

I thought it over for a minute, then grabbed a pen and wrote something at the bottom. "Yeah, well I'm going with you. You're not trained yet, and you need someone to protect you."

"I can't ask you to do that! You'd be leaving your family for who knows how long!"

I crossed my arms. Stubborn Mikey's coming out again! "I'm going with you whether you like it or not. I promised you we'd get your mom, and I mean it. You're not getting rid of me."

Heather smiled, ran up to me, and hugged me. "Thank you..."

* * *

Leo's POV:

I woke up to the sound of Raph calling my name.

"LEO! COME HERE! HURRY!"

I got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. "What is it now, Raph?"

He shoved a handwritten note into my hands. I gasped. "Kit's handwriting?"

I read the note, then found Mikey's sloppy handwriting scrawled at the bottom.

_"Gone with Kit to find her mom. Be back whenever she is. Mikey."_


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm so glad someone started watching Moribito because of me! Alright, so Heather and Mikey are about to go across the country on foot. What's their first stop?**

**Heather's house, of course. Please review!**

Heather's POV:

Mikey and I ran along the rooftops as dawn broke. "So, Kit," He called to me. "Where exactly are we going?"

"To my house. I need to get a few things. Don't worry, the only one that's up this early is Kyle."

"Huh?"

"The second oldest."

"Oh."

We got to my apartment, and jumped through the window. Sure enough, my spikey-haired dirty-blonde little brother was up laying video games. I smiled. "Hey, Kyle."

In an instant, Kyle had paused the game, jumped up from his spot on the couch, and tackled me in a hug. "KIT!"

"Sh-h-h! You'll wake up the whole house!"

"Oops. Sorry." He stood up. "Where've you been?! You and mom have been gone now for about two months!"

I smirked. "Alien brains in robotic bodies captured us, I was saved by four mutant turtles, and trained on how to use ninja stuff by a giant rat."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Seriously? That's the best you can think up? Okay, where were you really?"

"I'm serious!'

"Prove it."

I stood up, and smiled. "Mikey, you can come out now."

The look on my brother's face was priceless as Mikey came out of the shadows. My BFF smiled. "Hi! You're Kyle, right?"

Kyle looked back and forth between me and Mikey. "Kit, explain."

"Kraang captured me and mom, and Mikey here found me after a month of being stuck there. I woke up in the turtles' lair, and learned how to be a kunoichi by their father, Splinter. When I got trained, we busted into a Kraang facility to find mom, the aliens tricked us and tried to catch me again, but then Mikey saved me. Right now, we're about to go on a road trip to L.A."

"Kit," Kyle said, rolling his eyes. "This is not a time to go on your honeymoon with this guy."

Mikey and I froze. "I'm n-not on a honeymoon with Mikey!" I stuttered. Kyle smirked.

"Well then, cherry cheeks, what exactly are you doing at L.A.?"

"That's where they took mom."

"Oh."

"Now excuse me while I get us some breakfast."

* * *

Mikey's POV:

I was completely shocked. Honeymoon?! ...that's my dream come true, actually.

"Hey, turtle guy?"

I looked down at Kyle. "My name's not turtle guy. It's Michelangelo or Mikey."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. By chance do you like video games?"

"You kidding? You're looking at the turtle king of video games!"

"You play Mariokart?"

"You bet!"

"Have you ever beaten Pizza Ninja in a Wi-Fi race?"

I was silent for a moment. "Sort of. Hey...are you by any chance Rocket Katana?"

"Yeah. You heard of me?"

"Yeah I've heard of you! I'm Pizza Ninja!"

Kyle stared at me. I smiled. "Let's see, I use Koopa Troopa on the Blue Falcon, I like Star Cup the best, I totally kicked your butt at Maple Treeway last Monday..."

"Okay, I get it. You are seriously an awesome racer, dude!"

"Back at ya! 3/5!"

I held my hand up, but he looked at me in confusion. "3/5?"

"Yeah, well, I can't say high five because I only have three fingers."

"Oh." He 3/5d me.

"Hey, Mikey! Kyle! Breakfast is almost ready!" Heather called. We both walked into the kitchen ad sat at the table.

As we waited, that comment Kyle made about Heather and me on a honeymoon still rang in my head. If we got married, where would I take her? California? Florida? Hawaii? Alaska? I don't know.

* * *

Heather's POV:

I took the plates of blueberry pancakes over to the counter where the boys were. Kyle was grinning, but Mikey was staring at the counter. I frowned. That's not like Mikey. "Hey, Mikey, you okay?"

He snapped his head up. "Yeah, I'm great! Whoa...are those blueberry pancakes?!"

"Yeah. You want maple syrup?"

"Totally!" He and Kyle exclaimed at the same time.

I shook my head. "Boys are always the same..." I grabbed some maple syrup from the fridge and set it on the counter.

As the boys hungrily devoured their breakfast, I started packing a backpack with the stuff I'd need.

Road map?

Check.

Change of clothes (for me, obviously)?

Check.

Soap?

Check.

iPod (Mikey likes music, right?)?

Check.

Solar charger?

Check.

Flashlight?

Check.

ATM card?

Check.

$50 cash?

Check.

I frowned. It seemed like I was missing something...oh, yeah! I grabbed my ukulele and put it in. Kyle noticed from the counter. "Hey, sis, why're you bringing that?"

"If we run out of money, I've got to find some way to support myself and Mikey." I explained. "You know I could do it with that."

Mikey looked at me curiously. "With what?"

"My ukulele."

"You have one?"

"Yeah. From...my dad..." I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it. Kyle, you're in charge while I'm gone."

"Aren't I always?"

"If you don't knock it off I'll put Amy in charge of you."

"Yes ma'am!" He said, straightening up.

Mikey got up, and I grabbed my spear. Kyle grinned as Mikey and I were about to go back to the roof. "Make sure you come back married and with a kid!"

Mikey turned scarlet. I rolled my eyes. "Come on. Just ignore him."

We left.

* * *

Leo's POV:

I can't believe it! Mikey _and _Heather are gone! I knew Mikey was a bit childish, but this?! He didn't even take his T-phone! "What are we supposed to do?!"

Splinter sighed. "I see but one option. You must figure out where it is they are going, and find them."

"Sensei, we want to," Raph said. "But who's going to protect the city?"

"I'll protect it."

We all turned to see April standing there in her new kunoichi outfit. I could've sworn I saw Donnie's eyes have hearts in them. Heck, he's probably seeing shojo bubbles right now! But...April did look cool.

She was in a black ninja suit with a yellow bandana around her eyes. The mask tails were split into three and braided in the back. Donnie snapped out of it and shook his head. "Definitely not, April. The Kraang are still after you and-"

"And you need to find Mikey." She smiled. "Don't worry. I have my T-phone."

I really didn't like leaving April as the only one to defend the city, but I didn't want to lose Mikey either. I sighed. "Fine. Just don't try anything...out of your league."

She saluted. "Will do, Captain Ryan."


	11. Chapter 11

**Let's get this show on the road! Get ready, it's a long trip! Please review!**

Mikey's POV:

At 10 o' clock, we reached the city borders. Don't get me wrong; I feel horrible about leaving my brothers! But it's not like they really need me in the fights anyways. They can manage a few weeks without me. Heather needs me for this.

Heather pulled out her road map. "Alright. We're...here." She pointed to Hudson street on the New York map. "Now, we'll cross the Hudson River, and then we'll follow the New Jersey Turnpike Extension on I-78 until we hit the actual New Jersey Turnpike. Then we'll go south on I-95 for a little while, and take a rest stop in Elizabeth for lunch. Sound good?"

I looked over the map. "Yep. They've got pizza there, right?"

"Of course! They've got pizza almost everywhere in America!" She closed her road atlas book and pulled out a $5. "Now you stay here while I get us a snack, okay?"

I nodded. "Fine by me."

* * *

Donnie's POV:

We've gotta catch Mikey and Heather before they leave the city! I don't know when they left, but I know that Heather would have to gear up for a trip this long. But where would they go?

We all sat around the counter with a map of New York. Raph crossed his arms. "Could they have gone to a store?"

I shook my head. "Not likely. She'd need money to go to a store. But where would she get money?"

"I use my ATM card." April said.

Leo nodded. "That would work. But she didn't have it with her before. So she'd have to get it from somewhere."

Splinter stroked his chin. "Given the situation, her most likely course of action would have been to return home to gather her belongings."

"But where is her house?"

Mr. O' Neil smiled. "I can help with that. Emily once invited me over to talk about our research. She lives on 233, East 69th Street. It shouldn't be too far from here."

* * *

Heather's POV:

I love candy. I bought myself a package of Turtles, and for Mikey I got him a Hershey bar. I also bought us each a water bottle and package of sunflower seeds to munch on as we walked.

When I got back to Mikey, I tossed him the bar and the seeds. "Chocolate now, sunflowers on the road."

He nodded, and opened the wrapper. "So, Kit," He said between bites. "What did you get?"

"Turtles."

That look of horror on Mikey's face was both funny and guilt tripping. I shook my head. "Not real turtles! They're called that because they're _shaped_ like turtles! It's pecans and caramel dipped in chocolate!"

Mikey gave a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."

"You want to try one?" I said, holding one out.

He shook his head. "Nah, you eat it. I already have a snack." He looked around. "You got any drinks on you?"

I nodded and handed him his water bottle. I got the big smartwater type bottles so we souldn't run out for a while. "Don't drink it all. Remember, we still haven't left the city yet, and I do _not _want to take a bathroom break until we get to Elizabeth." I took a swig of water before putting it in my backpack. "You ready?"

He nodded, tucking his into his belt. "As I'll ever be."

* * *

Leo's POV:

We got to Heather's apartment around 10:30. From the sound of it, there were people inside. I smiled. "Looks like they're still here."

The three of us jumped into the window and were surrounded...by little kids? I thought Mr. O'Neil told us this address!

Two girls and two boys were playing on Mariokart Wii. The girls were 11 and 8. The boys were 9 and 8. A pair of 7-year-old identical twins were on DS systems, and a 13-year-old boy was feeding a one-year-old. A little boy, about 3, looked at us and pointed. "Kie-kie! Si sa tuwtewls!"

All the games stopped, and the kids all stared at us. The 11-year-old girl gasped. "Kyle...there's three giant turtles in the house!"

The 13-year-old-Kyle, apparently-smiled. "It's fine, Ay. They're friends of Kit's."

I looked at him. "Wait, you know Kit?"

"Well, duh!" The 9-year old boy said. "She's our sister!"

Kyle walked up to us and shook my hand. "Hi, I'm Kyle."

"I'm Leonardo, but everyone calls me Leo. These are my brothers, Raphael and Donnatello."

"'Sup?"

"Hi."

Kyle nodded. "Well, this is Amy, and here's Jason, and then the first set of twins, Paul and Krysten. Then there's the terror twins-"

"HEY!"

"-Jessica and Jennifer. This little guy here is Cameron, and baby James is in the kitchen."

Donnie stepped forward. "We're sorry to intrude on your home like this, but we're looking for our brother-"

"Mikey?"

We all nod. Kyle sighed. "You're a bit late. They left here at 7."

"What?!" Raph exclaimed.

Paul smiled at him. "Don't worry, Mister. They'll be okay. Kit's traveled across the country before."

"She has?"

Amy nodded. "Yup. Been doing it ever since she was Jason's age. Mom took her a few times, then she just started doing it on her own. Mom was fine with it as long as she texted her at eight every night."

I sighed and looked at my brothers. "Well guys, looks like we're going out-of-state."


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the encouraging reviews! Hope you like this chapter! Oh, and PLEASE REVIEW!**

Heather's POV:

I'll admit, it was a bit difficult walking to Elizabeth on foot, especially with a ton of people on the roads. People were pulling over every now and then, saying comments like "Do you need a ride?", "Are you looking for someone?", or "What the heck is wrong with that guy?" I answered as little as possible, and we just kept going.

Now I know Mikey. He complains a lot if Raph makes him run laps for more than fifteen minutes. We've been walking for hours, and I haven't heard a peep out of him. Maybe he's just trying to prove he's strong or something to impress me. Sigh...guys and their macho side.

We finaly got to Elizabeth, and I smiled. "Well? What do you want for lunch?"

Mikey shrugged cluelessly. "Pizza. What else?"

"No, not pizza. We'll get pizza once we get to the first checkpoint."

"Checkpoint?"

I nodded. "Philidelphia. Now, what do you want _besides_ pizza? There's McDonalds, Burger King, Chic-fil-a..."

He shrugged. "You choose, because I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Chic-fil-a it is!"

* * *

Mikey's POV:

Heather walked out of Chic-fil-a with a bag and two drinks in her hands. I jumped down from the roof. "So, what'd you get?"

She set the stuff on the outdoor picnic table. "Well, I hope you like lemonade, 'cause that's what I got. Chic-fil-a's lemonade is the _best!" _She handed me the drink, and I tried it.

"Whoa, you're right! This is awesome!"

I heard a bunch of girls giggling at another table, and became self-conscious. "Uh, Kit? Doesn't it bug you that I'm a mutant turtle out where all of the world can see me?" I whispered.

Heather smiled. "Nope! They think you're dressed up. They never suspect a thing."

"...you sure?"

"Positive. You want me to prove my point? Just turn around and wave at them."

I don't know about this...then again they _are _sitting there, not screaming. I glanced over my shoulder and gave a small wave.

The four girls giggled again, and one of them stood up. "Hey cutie! Nice costume!"

Another one nodded. "You want to come sit with us, handsome?"

I turned scarlet. Normally I'm not a shy guy. But, normally I'm not travelling across the country in broad daylight with my crush. I shake my head no.

"Aww...you can bring your friend too, if you want."

I looked at Heather. "Should I?"

"Of course!" She grabbed our stuff and pulled me over to the girl table. "Hi girls!"

Heather sat on my left, while the girl on my right scooted closer. I'm already uncomfortable...

"So, what's your name?" The strawberry blonde at the end of the table asked.

"I'm...Michelangelo. My friends call me Mikey."

"AWW!" They all say in chorus. That...is just plain freaky.

"So, where are you two from?"

I looked at Heather pleadingly, and she smiled. "We're from New York, and we're currently traveling across the country."

The Hispanic girl next to her batted her eyelashes at me. "So, Mikey, how old are you?"

"Uh...fifteen?"

"You ever been out on a date with a girl before?"

"No." Suddenly, I felt something touch my arm. "Hey!" I whip around to see the dirty blonde on my right running her hand over my muscles. She giggled.

"He is so HOT!"

"S-stop that!"

"Why, does it hurt?"

"No...It's just...uncomfortable..."

"Aw, you hear that girls? He thinks it's uncomfortable!" They all giggled again. I silently beg Heather to make them stop.

She frowned at the dirty blonde. "Alright, knock it off."

"But why?" She said in a pitiful voice.

"Because I said so. Mikey already told you he didn't like it, so knock it off."

"And who put you in charge?"

I saw Heather's fists clench, but she was trying her best to stay calm. She closed her eyes and started whispering. _"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine...ten." _She stood up, grabbed our lunch and smiled. "Alright. We have to go now. Come on, Mikey."

I nodded and stood up, then followed her out of the view of the girls. She facepalmed. "Alright, never _ever_ let me do that with a bunch of pop divas again. Next time, we eat on the roof."

I sipped my lemonade. "Y'know, technically we haven't had lunch yet."

Heather smiled, and the two of us jumped up the fire escape on a nearby apartment. I shivered. "Those dudettes were so creepy!"

"I second that."

We both start eating chicken sandwiches and waffle fries. Tell you what, I totally prefer a nice girl in sweats to a creepy girl in fashion clothes.


	13. Chapter 13

**This is where Heather and Mikey finally get to Philadelphia! YAY! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING! I LIVE OFF REVIEWS!**

Heather's POV:

Man, those girls made me mad! Not just because they talked back to me, but because of how they were treating Mikey! Those girls don't even deserve our time.

We finished lunch and I pulled out the road map. "Alright. We left New York at 10 and got here in three hours. That's...roughly five miles an hour."

"Aw, we have to do math?"

"Unless you want to sleep in the woods next to the highway, yes."

"Point taken."

"Let's see...we have how many miles to Philly?" I measured it out. "Holy crap!"

"What?"

"Current speed, we'd take fourteen _hours, _and that's not including breaks!"

Mikey rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh, speaking of which...I gotta go."

I nodded. "Alright. Anyone asks, you're in a costume, got it?"

"Got it."

He jumped down and rushed inside the restaurant, giving me time to figure out how the heck we were going to get to Philly tonight. _70 miles! We can't walk that far in one day! _I looked around. No matter what, we are _not_ hitch-hiking. And I'm fifteen, so I can't drive...wait a sec! There's a bike shop across the street! I put down my backpack and pulled out my ATM card. "Hello, ticket to the road."

* * *

Mikey's POV:

I came out of Chic-fil-a to see Heather with a black helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads on. She handed me a silver helmet. "You've already got your gear on, so I didn't see the point in getting more than a helmet."

I raised an eye ridge. "Uh...why do I need this?"

Heather smiled and brought me through the parking lot to the bike rack. Two road bikes were waiting there, with the price tags still on them.

"Yours is the bigger one."

"Kit..." I walked over to my new bike. I'm pretty sure my eyes had manga stars in them. "You are so amazing!" I rushed over to her and kissed her cheek...wait, I did WHAT?! I flushed in embarrassment and stared the the ground. "Sorry..."

"Relax, it's fine. These," She patted her bike. "Are our ticket to Philadelphia!"

I got on mine, and just as I was about to zoom around trying it out, I caught sight of the price tag. "Kit, you spent eighty-nine dollars?!"

Heather smiled. "Mikey, they pay for themselves. If we spend less time, we make fewer stops getting to L.A., which means fewer dollars spent. These'll save us at least a week!" She then folded up her bike. "And look! They're collapsible!" She unfolded it, hopped on, and zoomed around the parking lot. "Let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

Leo's POV:

I walked over to the Shellraiser. Raph had what looked like ten bottles of spraypaint, and was remodeling the whole thing. He smiled at me. "'Sup, fearless?"

"What are you doing?!" I said. "Mikey and Kit are out there all alone trying to travel by foot to California with who-knows-what happening to them, and you're painting?!"

"That's right! Gee, you're getting smarter, Leo!"

I facepalmed. "Why the heck would you do that? Does Donnie know about this?"

"Actually, he's the one that asked me to do it!"

"What?!"

I marched right over to Donnie's lab. He smiled up at me. "Hey, Leo! What's up?"

"What's up?! Mikey is out there, alone and unafraid, where anyone could hurt him, and you have Raph spraypainting the Shellraiser! WHAT THE HECK?!"

My little brother smiled calmly. "Look at it logically: we need it. Kit and Mikey already have a headstart, and the best way to catch up to them is with the Shellraiser. We might as well make it look like a normal car."

"And license plates?"

"April's going to go to the registration place and get it registered tomorrow."

"TOMORROW?!"

"You can't rush things like this! Besides, it's not like they're going more than five miles an hour."

* * *

Mikey's POV:

"WOOHOO!" We were racing along the turnpike at, what? 25mph? This is so awesome! "Hey, Kit, check this out!" I called, doing a ton of tricks on my bike. Heather laughed.

"Awesome, Mikey! Now watch this!" She zoomed ahead of me so I could see her, then did a handstand on the handlebars. I can't even do that!

"Whoa!"

We'd been riding like that for almost three hours until I caught sight of a roadsign. "Kit! Philadelphia, next exit!"

"Great! Now we could finally get some rest!"

"And pizza?"

"Of course!"

* * *

Heather's POV:

As we rode down the exit, I made sure Mikey could see me. It's easy to get lost in a big city like this, you know! I slowed my pace and stopped on a street corner, putting my folded bike in my backpack. Mikey pulled up next to me. "Why're we stopping here?"

I smiled. "We're not. We're just changing travel methods. You and I are going to my little base I have set up here." I walked over to the manhole cover and pried it off. "Well? You coming?"

He nodded and folded his bike. I heard him shut the manhole cover above us. He looked around. "Geez, Kit, how can you see like this?"

I pulled out my flashlight. "Like this." I clicked it on.

We walked down the sewer pipes, Mikey following my lead, until we got to what seemed like a brick wall. "Alright! Here we are!"

"Uh...Kit? You sure...?"

I smiled at him, then pushed one of the bricks. There was a click, and the so called "wall" opened up. His eyes widened in amazement. "How did you do that?!"

"Springs in the hinges. Can't have people finding my hideout, can I?"

We walked in, and I could've sworn I saw his eyes go manga-star. I had a video-game center, two bedrooms (me and mom), a kitchen, and a computer. I smiled. "Welcome, Hamato Michelangelo, to Checkpoint One."

* * *

Raph's POV:

I put the finishing touches on the Shellraiser, and I gotta admit it looked pretty sweet. Black and silver, with a red stripe. I didn't make the stripe red because it's my bandana color, if that's what you're thinking! Actually, I walked into Heather's room and "found" *cough*stole*cough* her disk set of "The A-Team." So, the Shellraiser looks like their car, with a silver edge around the red stripe.

_Da-da-da-da-doo-bop, de-da-le_

My T-phone's text ringtone went off, and I looked at it.

_Hey spaghetti,_

_Just reached checkpoint one. Ask Kyle if you don't know what it is. I know you guys have probably gone to my house already._

_-Kit_

My eyes widened. "LEO! DONNIE! GET OVER HERE NOW!"


	14. Chapter 14

**With Heather knowing that the boys are trying to bring her back, she's got to go a bit faster. Ever heard of Amtrak? Also, Donnie makes an...interesting gadget. Please review!**

Mikey's POV:

I woke up the next morning to the sound of Heather on the phone. I walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah. That's two Acela and two Vermonter. My email's jadekit . Thanks! Bye."

She ended the call and smiled at me. "Hey, Mikey, you ever been on a train?"

I shook my head. "No, but it would be awesome! I could go anywhere without walking!"

Heather nodded. She pulled out her US map. "Well, today we're riding on a train!"

"What?!"

"I just bought us four tickets." She pointed to Washington DC. "The Acela tickets will take us here, and from there the Vermonter ticket'll take us to Springfield, Illinois."

My eyes were manga-stars. "You mean I really get to go on a train?!"

"Yup!"

"OH YEAH! BOOYAKASHA!"

* * *

Leo's POV:

Philadelphia?! How the heck did they get to Philadelphia?! They have to be using some sort of transportation other than their feet. Bikes, maybe?

April rolled into the station with our newly repainted Shellraiser. I hate to admit it, but Raph did a pretty good job.

"Are you sure you're going to do this?" April asked. "I mean, you don't have a license! What're you going to do if you get pulled over?"

I smiled. "Donnie already thought of that. I have a fake license, and check this out!" I pushed a button on my new watch, and I was suddenly a human. April stared.

"Leo?!"

I nodded. "Yup. It's me." I had blonde hair and a slight tan, and was wearing a blue shirt and jeans. "Hardest part is balancing myself without my shell. I honestly can't believe Donnie's never thought of this before. But, you know, necessity is the mother of invention, right?"

Raph and Donnie ran down in their new forms. Raph had a darker tan than me, and had messy black hair. Donnie was light-skinned with brown curls. The former smirked. "You ready to go, fearless?"

April gasped. "Guys?!"

Donnie blushed. "Oh, h-hey April! I uh, just...whipped this up last night, and..."

"I almost didn't recognize you!" She touched his arm. "You seem real. Are you really, you know, human?"

Donnie shook his head. "It's an illusion. The watches use multiquantum sonar waves to alter how things look and feel. It wears off after an hour, or if we take the watches off." He pressed the button, and was back to himself. "We're only going to put these on if we get pulled over or we have to use a toll bridge or something like that."

Raph and I turned off ours. "Let's get this show on the road!"

We said our goodbyes, and got in the Shellraiser.

* * *

Mikey's POV:

I looked out the window as the trees and scenery whizzed by. "Whoa! Amtrak is so banging! I've never seen this much green!"

Heather yawned. "Yeah...guess you wouldn't have...being in the sewers all the time..."

I looked down at her. She looked really tired. I guess she was up pretty late getting things ready for the trip. "Hey, Kit? You tired?"

She gave a sleepy nod.

"You can lean on me if you want."

She smiled. "Thanks, Mikey." She rested her head on my plastron, and fell asleep.

I looked at her face. She seemed so perfect when she was asleep. Like a little angel. Her cheeks were dusted with faint freckles that I hadn't noticed before, and her golden hair looked smooth as silk. I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her a bit closer to me. She sighed softly in her sleep. She was so fragile...

I kissed the top of her head and smiled. "'Night, Kit."


	15. Chapter 15

**The boys are finally on the road, but Mikey and Heather have already gotten a huge headstart! Please review!**

Donnie's POV:

I sighed as Leo drove the Shellraiser away from the station. I wouldn't be seeing April for at least two weeks, and she'd be in danger for that entire time. I'm just glad she promised to text me every night to make sure she was okay. Who knows? Maybe when I get back, I can figure out a way to lengthen the amount of time I can turn human. Then I can take her on a real date...or a dance or something...and maybe she'll like me! Man, I should've put this gadget on my flowchart ages ago!

"Hey, Donnie, which road do I take?"

I was jolted out of my thoughts as Leo asked me for directions. I really need to get used to double-tapping. Mikey's normally on the maps. "Uh, New Jersey Turnpike Extension."

"Got it."

I sighed. "Can I stick to the cameras and radar? I can't really focus."

"Then who's going to do the maps?" Leo asked.

"Um...Raph?"

Raph crossed his arms. "No way. I'm sticking to weapons."

I rolled my eyes. "We're on the open road. I don't really think we'll need the weapons, unless you _want _the Foot to know we've left."

My older brother groaned, then moved over to the maps. "You owe me. Leo, go to the New Jersey Turnpike in five miles."

* * *

Heather's POV:

_I looked around. I was back in New York City, on top of a building. Thick mist surrounded me. "H-hello?" I said cautiously._

_Just then, I heard a scream. I turned around to see a Kraangdroid pointing a gun at...my baby brother. "James!" I yelled. I wanted to go save him, to scoop him up and get him out of harm's way, but I couldn't move. The Kraangdroid's gun charged up._

_"The one known as Heather Jade will soon be alone in the world known as Earth. The ones known as the Jade family will soon be known as the family that is destroyed." And with that, he shot James._

_Another Kraangdroid walked up, this one with Cameron. Soon Cameron was on the ground, lifeless._

_More Kraangdroids showed up, and one by one, they shot their hostages. Jennifer, Jessica, Krysten, Paul, Jason, Amy, and finally Kyle. As Kyle fell, I cried, waiting for the Kraang to shoot me. Except they weren't done. The last Kraangdroid was revealed by the fading mist, but it wasn't holding part of my family._

_It was holding Hamato Michelangelo._

_I gasped. "No! Shoot me, but leave Mikey alone!"_

_Mikey looked at me shocked. "Kit?!"_

_The gun charged up, and Mikey closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact. "Goodbye, Heather." The electrobullet hit his head, and he tumbled to the ground. The Kraang disappeared, and I could walk again._

_"MIKEY!"_

_I ran over to him. I shook his shoulders. "Mikey, you have to get up! Mikey, please! Don't leave me!" My tears fell on his plastron. "Mikey you have to wake up! I c-can't live without you!" I hugged his cold, still body. "Michelangelo..." I choked through sobs._

"Kit! Wake up!"

I jolted awake. "Mikey!" I looked up into his sky blue eyes. "Y-you...you're..."

Mikey gave me a worried look. "Kit? You okay?"

I hugged him and started crying into his plastron. "Michelangelo...I-I..."

He tensed up a bit, then relaxed and started rubbing my back. "Shh...it's okay...I'm right here...what happened?"

"The K-Kraang showed up a-and started k-killing my s-siblings, then one showed up h-holding you...a-a-and t-they s-shot you! Y-you s-said 'goodbye H-heather' and they shot y-you!" I burst into uncontrollable tears.

"Oh, Heather..." Mikey hugged me. "It was just a dream. You don't have to worry. We're still on the train, going to find your mom, and Kyle and the others are back at your apartment. And I'm still here." He took his hand and gently lifted my head up so that our eyes met. I felt his thumb wipe the tears off my cheeks. "Besides, it takes more than one Kraang to hold me back! I'll take 'em down easy! Booyakasha!"

I gave a small smile. "Thanks, Mikey."

* * *

Mikey's POV:

We pulled into DC, then immediately transferred trains towards Springfield. Heather's dream was still bugging me as we sat down again. I don't know what I'd do if the situation was flipped. I definitely couldn't live without her in my life. If she died...I think the part of me that's me would die. I wouldn't really have a reason to live. If I had a choice between my life or Heather's, though, I'd definitely give myself up.

Okay, all this thinking's making my head hurt. Where's the pizza on this train?

* * *

Leo's POV:

We got to Philadelphia around noon. I parked the Shellraiser for a minute, and pulled out my T-phone.

_Alright, Kit. Where are you hiding? We're in Philadelphia, so you might as well come out._

I waited anxiously for a response.

_Da-da-da-da-doo-bop, dee-da-lee!_

_Sorry boys._

_Already past DC and headed to Springfield._

_C U l8r!_

_Kit & Mikey_

I facepalmed. "Great. More driving. Well, I'll tell you what, we're getting lunch first. Who wants cheesesteaks?"

"Me!" Donnie and Raph chorused.


	16. Chapter 16

**Mikey and Heather are in Springfield, the boys are on the road, and now there are two more players in this chase! Please review!**

Mikey's POV:

We left the station late at night, and I looked around. "Whoa...Springfield is HUGE!"

Heather giggled, and I felt my heart flutter. "I hope it's big! It's the capital of Illinois!"

"It is?! Uh...what's Illinois?"

"A state."

"Oh." I felt my cheeks heat up. I should have known that! "So, where's your little base here?"

"I don't have one." She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "I usually stop in Chicago, but we have to outrun your brothers, so..."

"Why?"

"Because they're following us."

My eyes widened. "They are?! And we left them?!"

Heather rolled her eyes. "We have to. They're trying to bring us back to NYC."

"Oh." Suddenly, leaving them didn't seem so bad. "Where are we going to sleep?"

She shrugged. "Roof, I guess."

"Alright! Operation Camp-out!"

* * *

Raph's POV:

"Leo, you need to pull over."

"No, Raph, I'm...*yawn*...fine."

I rolled my eyes. "Fearless, it's 11:15. You need to pull over."

"No I don't."

"Y'know," Donnie cut in, "It's illegal to drive when drowsy. It puts a lot of people at risk, not just yourself."

Normally, I get annoyed by Donnie's book-smart comments, unless they're on my side. "Donnie's right. Pull over. We're already at Ohio."

"...fine."

Leo pulled into a parking lot for a nearby gas station, and parked the Shellraiser, practically asleep at the wheel.

I'm glad he listened to me for once.

* * *

April's POV:

_Alright, we're down for the night. You okay?_

_-Donnie_

I smiled. Donnie's always been a bit overprotective of me, but at least it means he cares. I responded to his text immediately.

_I'm great. Goodnight, Donnie._

_-April_

I grabbed my bandana-man, I love that thing!-and got ready to go on patrol. As I geared up, Splinter walked up to me.

"April, I do not think it is best for you to go to the surface right now."

I nodded. "I understand, sensei, but I promised the boys I would do this."

Splinter sighed. "Just...be careful."

"Will do." I gave him a thumbs-up, and left the lair.

* * *

Mikey's POV:

We finally found a nice rooftop...if by nice, you mean plain, flat cement. But hey! The building's abandoned, so no one can yell at us for sleeping on the roof! I laid down on the back of my shell and put my hands behind my head. Heather lay next to me. She sighed.

"Hey, Mikey?"

I glanced at her. "Yeah?"

"Do you...miss your brothers?"

"Yeah. But it's not like I'll never see them again. Besides, I wanted to go on this trip with you."

She smiled at me, then looked up at the stars. "Let's see...there's Orion...and Scorpio...and there's the Big Dipper..."

I raised an eye ridge. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm just looking at the constellations."

"What?"

"Look." She pointed at the sky. "You see those three stars that are all lined up?"

I looked up. "Yeah."

"That's part of Orion, the hunter. Those three stars make up his belt. If you look, the bright stars there-" She pointed higher. "-and there-" She pointed lower. "Make up his body."

I concentrated hard. I could see Orion now, but not the way she saw it. "It doesn't look like a hunter guy to me."

"Well, what do you see?"

"A blender."

She laughed. Not a ridiculing kind of laugh. Just a good-natured I-find-this-funny kind of laugh. And I laughed with her.

My laughter was cut short, however, when I saw her shiver. "Kit? You cold?"

"Just a little. I'm fine."

I was cold, too, but Heather didn't have the same advantage I did. She couldn't just pull herself into a shell and keep warm all night. "You could sleep next to me, if you want."

"N-no, I'm fine. I c-couldn't ask you to-"

"Kit, it's fine. You're gonna freeze to death out here."

"I told you I'm-"

"Heather..." Stubborn Mikey is back!

Heather sighed, defeated, and moved closer to me. I lay on my side and put my arm around her. She smiled.

"Thanks, Mikey."

"No prob. You just go to sleep now, okay Kit?"

"'Kay..." She mumbled sleepily.

I lay still for a few moments as she lost consciousness. She was just so...beautiful. Her lips looked so soft, and I tried to imagine what they would feel like pressed against mine. She's asleep, right? Maybe I could...no. I won't force her. She'll kiss me if she wants to. I sighed. _Yeah, like that'll ever happen. Why would a girl like Heather like a freakish mutant turtle like me?_

That was my last thought as I fell asleep.

* * *

Karai's POV:

Things have been a bit too quiet lately. I haven't seen the turtles on patrol in a few days. Something's up, and I intend to find out what.

I was out on my own today. Father was thinking *cough*sulking*cough* about how easily Splinter's managed to escape the Foot, and Bradford ad Xever were in their latest rivalry fight. Which means I'm on free time.

I ran across the rooftops, looking for any small sign of the turtles. Something caught my eye.

A lone figure was jumping from roof to roof. I looked closer. It's...April O'Neil? What's she doing out alone? I followed her silently. _What's she up to?_

After a little while, she stopped and sat on the edge of the roof. "Whew! How can they do this every night? New York's really big!"

Time to make my move. "Actually, Tokyo's a lot bigger."

April whirled around, tessen drawn. "Karai!"

"April." I smirked. "What's up?"

She glared. "What are you doing out here?!"

"Oh, just walking around. I've noticed that the turtles haven't been around lately." I narrowed my eyes. "What's going on?"

April crossed her arms. "Give me a good reason why I should tell you."

I dropped my Katana on the ground and crossed my arms. "I'm bored. Tell me what's going on. No Foot ninjas around, I'm defenseless. Spill it April."

"And have you report to Shredder?"

I rolled my eyes. "Father won't even listen to me. What, are they sick or something? Honestly, I just need something to do around here."

"They're not sick!"

"They gone rogue?"

"No!"

"Did Donatello's lab blow up?"

"No, of course not! How do you even know he has a lab?!"

I shrugged. "Please. He's a scientist. Even Baxer Stockman has a lab. Did they get captured by the Kraang?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't you think you'd have known if they did?"

Okay, good point. "Did they go AWOL?"

"..."

Bingo! "So, they left the city!" I snapped my fingers. April winced, and I frowned. "Oh, don't act like that. It's not like you told me. You didn't betray them or anything. Now that I know they're gone, you might as well tell me everything."

April sat down. "I can't see how you'd use it against them, now that you know they're gone, so fine. The Kraang captured a freind of theirs' mom, and took her to L.A."

L.A.? They have a base in L.A.? "Keep going."

"Mikey and Heather went to go save her, then the boys followed. I got left behind."

"Really?" I smirked. "I'm curious, but do you have your driver's licence?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, you're in luck. I do. And we're going to follow them."

"What?!" She jumped to her feet. "Are you crazy?! Why would I go with you?!"

I shrugged. "You want the boys back, right? And I just happen to be bored out of my skull without them."

"Forget it! I'm not falling for your trap!"

"What trap? For once, I'm actually _not _against you! Now what do you say?"

She was silent.

"Going once..."

Still silent.

"Going twice..."

"Alright! Fine!" She sighed. "But only because I'm getting a bit desperate myself."

I smiled. Finally something to do!


	17. Chapter 17

**This chapter is exclusively Mikey and Heather's. Please review!**

Heather's POV:

I woke up the next morning to find Mikey cuddling with me.

Wait, what?

As I came to my senses, I remembered last night. And Mikey's stubbornness. He is such a sweetheart! I patted his arm lightly in an attempt to wake him.

He, being the heavy sleeper that he is, just pulled me in a bit tighter. It wasn't uncomfortable or anything, but we'd need to get up soon to go on the road. I patted him again. "Mikey..." I whispered.

Mikey smiled in his sleep and nuzzled his nose ridge into my neck. That tickled a bit. I giggled and called his name a little louder. "Mikey..."

He gave a small sigh. "Go back to bed, Dawn...leave your mother and I alone..."

What? He's still asleep then. I shook his shoulder. "Mikey, wake up!"

Mikey's sky blue eyes snapped open, and he jerked up, accidentally dropping me. He gasped. "Oh my gosh, Kit! I'm so sorry!"

I sat up and rubbed my head. "No, it's fine. Won't even bruise." I looked at him curiously. "So who's Dawn?"

"What?"

"You were talking in your sleep and you said 'go back to bed, Dawn. Leave your mother and I alone.' Who's Dawn?"

He blushed. "Oh...um...my daughter."

"Really? What does she look like?"

"Well, she's six years old, and has honey-colored eyes and freckles. She has a pink and orange bandana, and her skin is emerald green. She and her brother are turtles...like me."

"Brother? Who's her brother?"

"His name's Dusk, and he's eight. He has light blue eyes, like me, and his freckles are barely visible. His bandana is purple and midnight blue, and his skin's jade green. He's really protective of Dawn."

I smiled. "Your family sounds nice. Who's your wife?"

"Oh...uh...y'know, my dream's kinda fuzzy, so...yeah. Can't say."

"Oh, alright." I stood up. "So, you still haven't had McDonald's, right?"

He nodded.

"Well, I guess it's time you tried breakfast biscuits and hash browns!"

* * *

Mikey's POV:

I lied. My dream's still crystal-clear. But there is no way I'm going to tell Heather that she was my wife!

I sat on the top of the roof, waiting for Heather to come out of McDonald's, when I spotted a few shady characters in the nearby alley. They look kinda like Purple Dragons...whatever. If they cause trouble, I'll get 'em.

Whoa. Now I'm starting to sound like Leo.

Spooky.

Heather came out with a bag, just as those suspicious guys rounded the corner. I glared. They'd better not mess with my girl.

One of them grabbed her by the wrist. "Alright lady, hand over your wallet." I waited. She's a kunoichi. She can take care of herself.

"Never, street boy!"

"Maybe you need to be taught a lesson, girly?" He said, and smacked her in the face.

I lost it. NOBODY touches my Heather like that! I jumped down, my eyes white with fury, and punched him away from her. "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HER, YOU DUMPSTER RAT!"

The three guys regrouped, the one I had punched now missing a tooth. He smirked at me. "You fight pretty well, turtle-boy. What? Upset that I slapped your little girlfriend? That ugly little rat over there?"

My eyes were flames now. "TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT HER!"

"Oh, would you look at that? Turtle-boy's getting angry! Gonna cry, freak? The girl over there's too good for the likes of you, even if she is a dumb wench!"

THAT IS IT! NOBODY TALKS ABOUT MY HEATHER LIKE THAT! I grabbed the guy and kicked him in the gut, then whacked him upside the head with my nunchucks and sent him flying. His chicken cohorts went to pick him up, and ran off. "AND DON'T YOU COME BACK!" I shouted after them. I turned around to see if Heather was okay-and stopped in my tracks.

Her eyes were wide with fear, but not from the thugs.

From me.

I had scared Heather.

"Kit, I-" I reached out my hand to her, and she flinched. I jolted back as if I'd been struck. I hadn't just scared her. I had terrified her. "H-heather?"

"Michelangelo..." She whispered. "Y-you're...really there, right?"

I slowly nodded. Dangit, she probably hates me now! I stared at the ground, desperately wanting her to tell me it was fine, that she was okay, that she forgave me. "...I'm sorry..." I said quietly. Tears started to spill down my cheeks. I had actually scared her. Shame burned inside me.

I felt her hand touch my cheek, and she gently tilted my head up. "Mikey...what happened?"

"I-I saw them start hurting you, and...I d-don't know what came over me. It's like I was a d-different person. Gosh, Heather, I didn't want to scare you! I j-just wanted to get those guys to l-leave you alone! I'm so sorry!" I burst out crying. I'm supposed to act mature in a situation like this, but I couldn't help it. The thought that I had just lost Heather forever was too much. I waited for her to run away from me. She has a good reason to, now. Rage just turned me into a monster.

But she didn't run. She hugged me. "It's alright, Mikey. I forgive you."

I stood there with her for a long time, sobbing.


	18. Chapter 18

**Three days have passed since the last chapter. The girls are in Illinois, the boys are in Nebraska, and Mikey and Heather are in Utah. Westward bound, here we come! Please review!**

Karai's POV:

We were on the road for the third day in a row. April was suspicious of me at first, but I think she's starting to get used to me. Too bad she's on Yoshi's side.

"So, Karai...you mind if I ask you a question?"

I shrugged. "Nope. Can't promise an answer, though."

April looked at me curiously. "Why do you hate Splinter so much?"

"You mean Splinter never told you?" I was a little shocked.

"He told me why Shredder does, but not you."

I sighed. "Sixteen years ago, my father was married and they had me. Splinter was after the same woman, so, not accepting defeat, he killed my mother and burned the house down. My father swore to kill Hamato Yoshi in order to avenge her death."

April was silent for a moment. "That's not the version I heard at all."

"Really? What's your side of the story?"

"Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki were best friends, but the love of a woman, Tang-Shen, came between them. Splinter married Tang-Shen, and they had a beautiful daughter. Shredder was jealous, and fought Splinter in front of them. He accidentally sliced a candle. The whole building went up in flames. Tang-Shen died in that fire, and baby Miwa disappeared."

Miwa...I've heard that name before...somewhere...I gasped.

_"Miwa?!"_

_"My name is Karai!"_

"KARAI! RED LIGHT!"

I slammed on the brakes just in time. A few angry drivers honked their horns at me, but I was too shocked to care.

"Karai?" April looked at me with concern. "You alright?"

I nodded, not looking at her. "Yeah...just fine..."

Why had Splinter called me Miwa?

* * *

Mikey's POV:

Salt Lake City is HUGE! We were walking at night, and then in the center of the city was what looked like a ginormous castle. "Whoa! Hey, Kit, who lives in the huge fort? Is it cool like the pictures of the castles in Europe from the travel brochures?"

Heather laughed. "That's not a castle, Mikey, or a fort. That's a Mormon church. And since I'm not Mormon, I have absolutely no idea what it looks like inside."

"Oh...so, is there a base here?"

"Yep! Checkpoint eleven!"

I followed her down into the SLC (well, New York City is NYC, so Salt Lake City is SLC! Dr. Nameinstein strikes again!) sewers and to the newest HQ.

* * *

Heather's POV:

We got down to my Salt Lake base, and I smiled at Mikey. "Hey, Mikey, I've gotta go get something from the store really quick. You mind staying here while I get it?"

He gave me his signature grin and a thumbs-up. "No problamo! I'll just boot up the Wii and start playing Sonic Colors!"

"Alright! Be back in a flash!"

I left him to his devices (literally), and returned to the topside world. I reached into my pocket and pulled out what was left of my fifty dollars cash. _Now, what can I get with this...aha! _I ran over to Toys R Us.

* * *

I walked into the "mini-lair", as Mikey liked to call my bases, with a gift-wrapped box. I set it on the couch and cupped my hands around my mouth. "Mikey! I'm back!"

Mikey's head peered around the corner, before he barreled into me, crushing me in a hug. "Yay! You're home! I just beat the game!"

"Mikey...can't...breathe!"

"Oh, sorry." He let me go, and noticed the box. "Hey, what's that?"

I smiled. "Your present." I picked it up. "Happy mutation day!"

Mikey's eyes widened. "You knew?!"

"Of course! It's programmed into my T-phone! And now you're officially sixteen!" I handed him the present. "Go on! Open it!"

He ripped open the wrapping paper, and gasped. I'd gotten him a black and silver V-Chrome skateboard. He stared at it speechlessly for a full minute, and I started to worry. "I-if you don't like it, I could take it back and get you something else-"

"I love it."

I gave a sigh of relief. "You do?"

Mikey jumped up. "I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!" He grabbed my hands and started swinging me around in circles.

Tonight is going to be a fun night!

* * *

Raph's POV:

I'm sixteen tonight. The three of us were trying to have fun; Leo even used his watch disguise to buy us a REAL cake and pizza, but mutation day's just not the same without Mikey.

Mikey would always pull some huge mutation day prank early in the morning, and at lunch he'd always cook something big. Even if all he had to work with was algae and worms, he could still make the day feel special. And this was our first mutation day without him.

Who exactly was to blame for all this? Us for not keeping track of him?

Heather for dragging him into it?

Heather's mom for being across the country?

The Kraang for kidnapping Heather's mom?

Ding ding ding!

The Kraang were to blame for all of this. All the more reason to get rid of the nasty brain-freaks, I say.

I hate to admit it, but I miss my annoying little brother.

I wish Mikey were here.


	19. Chapter 19

**Two days since the last chapter, and they're closer than ever! Please review!**

Mikey's POV:

We finally got to Reno, Nevada! Heather says it'll only be a couple more days before we get to L.A. Then I can rescue Professor Jade, and...maybe...Heather will think I'm cool.

Right now, I was teaching her how to grind on a skateboard. "Now just bend your knees..."

She tried, and wobbled a bit. "M-Mikey! I'm gonna fall!"

"No you won't. I'm right here. I'll catch you."

"Right..."

"Try again."

She carefully bent her knees, and soon got the hang of it. She grounded down the rail I set up. At the end, she cheered. "Look, Mikey! I did it! Heather Jade, the girl with no sense of balance, just grinded on a skateboard!" Just then, her board slipped. I jumped and caught her just in time.

Heather looked up at me. " T-thanks, Mikey."

I smiled and shrugged. "No prob, Kit. What are friends for?"

"They're for...TICKLEPOUNCES!" She tackled me and started torturing me with those soft little fingers of hers.

"AAH! KIT! STOP! UNCLE!" I cried out in vain as the torturing got worse. "K-K-KIT!" I used my emergency getaway and pretended to faint. The tickling stopped.

"Mikey? You alright?"

I smiled, grabbed her, and flipped over, beginning to tickle her mercilessly. "BOOYAKASHA!"

* * *

A few hours later, I was starting to get a bit antsy. I wanted to see Reno myself. "Hey, Kit, can I go topside to explore?"

Heather nodded. "Be back by midnight."

"Will do!"

I practically jumped up the ladder to the surface. "Whoa...Reno's HUGE! Bigger than SLC!"

* * *

It was getting late...dangit, I should've brought a watch! Heather's gonna kill me if I come home late...

As I ran back to the street I'd hoped out of, I accidentally tripped on the curb and landed flat on my face. "Ow..." I slowly picked myself up. No scrapes, no bruises, no glass cuts-I continued checking myself over until I spotted something shiny. I grabbed it.

A quarter? Cool! Maybe I should get some gum!

Wait a sec...

Maybe I could win at one of the slot machines at a casino? I know they're rigged, but they have to let someone win once in a while, or else no one would play. And if I win, I could get the Mario Party 9 disk for the Wii! I stood up, and walked over to the Silver Coin casino.

Inside, a lot of shady characters were giving me strange looks. Probably because they think I'm some guy in a turtle costume. I smirked, confident I could take these bozos if I needed to.

I walked over to the nearest slot machine, and put in my quarter. I pulled the lever and watched the wheels intently.

*click*

Lemon...

*click*

Two lemons...

"Come on, come on!" I closed my eyes and crossed two of my fingers.

*click*

I hesitantly opened my eyes, and gasped. Three pictures of lemons all sat in a row. Quarters started coming out of the winner's slot. I smiled, put them in the side pouch on my belt, and walked over to one of those Coins to Cash machines. I dumped them in. When the machine finished counting it up, I pulled out a $100 bill. Sweet! Now I can get the game!

I walked out of the casino happy as a ninja turtle who'd won the lottery. I'm a bit surprised nobody tried to attack me for my cash, but, then again, I DO have nunchucks.

I got to the store, ready to buy my video game, when I saw another store across the street. I debated over which I should go to for a minute...in the end, I wound up not getting a video game after all.

* * *

Heather's POV:

It's one in the morning. Mikey's an hour late. Should I worry? He's a ninja, but what if something happened to him? Just then, I heard footsteps in the kitchen. I grabbed my spear.

"Kit, you here?" Mikey's voice called. I relaxed a bit as he walked into the living room, until my older-sister instincts took over.

"What have you been doing?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"It's one a.m., Mikey. What were you doing?"

"Oh." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Good, he should be nervous. "Well, first I was exploring, then I found a few gangs that needed a beat-down, and then I found this quarter and decided to try my luck on a slot machine-"

"You were gambling?!"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"But nothing!" I crossed my arms. "I can't believe you were gambling! I'm very disappointed." He flinched at those words. "Mikey...something's not right. Something you're not telling me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Lately, you've been more violent towards people."

"No I haven't!"

"Then what happened in Springfield? Or how about the first attempt to save my mom, when a Kraangdroid twisted my wrist? And now you had me worried sick while you were playing slot machines!" I frowned. "This is not the Michelangelo I know and love."

Tears welled up in Mikey's eyes. "F-fine! I-I'll just leave, then!" He bolted. I called after him.

"Mikey, wait!"

* * *

Mikey's POV:

I ignored Heather's calls after me. She was right. I was a monster. And now, she didn't like me any more. She said it herself that I was not the person she knew and loved. Tears soaked my bandana, but I didn't care. I just ran.


	20. Chapter 20

**And now for the chapter you've all been waiting for (unless you were waiting for Emily Jade to be rescued. In that case, I'm sorry to disappoint you.)! I bet I had you wondering what Mikey bought, huh? Please review!**

Heather's POV:

As I was about to go off after Mikey and talk some sense into him, I spotted something on the counter. It was a small black velvet box. I opened it-and gasped.

Inside was a diamond-encrusted turtle pendant on a silver chain. I took it out to find a note in Mikey's handwriting underneath it.

_Dear Kit,_

_I know you're probably mad at me for coming home late, but I really wanted to get you something. I found a quarter on the sidewalk and won a slot machine game, and then used the money on this necklace. I hope you like it._

_-Michelangelo_

My eyes widened. "What have I done?"

* * *

Donnie's POV:

We rolled into Las Vegas early in the morning. Raph had taken the night shift on the wheel, while Leo slept and I worked on my computer. I was desperately trying to track Heather's T-Phone. I'd already tried satellite, radio, even electromagnetic tracing, but nothing was working.

I decided to take a small break and flip through my text messages from April. Then it hit me. I can't believe I overlooked such a simple solution! I could just trace Heather's texts! When I plugged my T-phone in, a little red blip appeared on my digital road map.

"Raph! I know where she is!"

"Where?"

"Reno, Nevada!"

* * *

Mikey's POV:

I sat on a rooftop, hugging my knees to my plastron. I cried into my mask. Why did I have to be so...different?! If I wasn't a turtle, maybe I could've told her how I feel and I wouldn't be in this mess. My brothers' words came back to me.

_"Donnie, you take Mikey."_

_"Why do I get him? You take him!"_

_"I don't want him. Besides, I'm the leader."_

_"Then make Raph take him!"_

_"Over my dead body!"_

I sighed. "Why did I ever think Heather would like me? My own brothers know I'm an idiot. Why did I hope she would overlook that?" Suddenly, something hit me in the back of my head. "Hey!" I turned around to see a ten-year-old boy with a nerf gun. He fist pumped the air.

"YES! Agent Collin Macabee has landed a direct hit on the mutant ninja turtle! Target is hit!"

I frowned. "That actually hurt."

Collin grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, mister...hey, why do you look so sad?"

I shook my head. "Teen stuff. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me!"

"Alright. I'm a teenage mutant ninja turtle hundreds of miles away from home. My brothers are who knows where, and the girl I have a crush on's mom got kidnapped by alien brains with robotic bodies. On top of that, Kit hates me because I get overprotective around her and I accidentally broke her trust. I was stupid to think a human like her would like a freak like me."

Collin's eyes widened. "Well, that's a fine mess you're in."

"Tell me about it..."

"I think I know what the problem is."

"Yeah?"

"She doesn't know why you were acting like that. If there's one thing I've learned from my sisters," He said. "It's that girls are completely clueless about romance. All they know, they read from novels or watch in movies where everything's perfect. In the media, the girl's the shy one and the boy's the brave guy. So they don't pick up if the guy's shy."

I nodded. "That makes sense...but what should I do?"

"Apologize and tell her why. She'll understand."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Collin."

He nodded. "Anytime, ninja-dude."

* * *

I walked along the rooftops, thinking of how I would tell her I'm sorry. This won't be easy...

"MICHELANGELO!"

I whirled around just as Heather ran up. I jolted. "Kit?!"

She looked up at me. "Mikey, I-"

I put my finger to her lips and shook my head. "Kit, I need to apologize. I shouldn't have stayed out late to go to a casino. I should've come straight home. I'm sorry."

Heather moved my hand away. "No, Mikey, I'm the one that should be sorry."

Wait, what?

"I shouldn't have yelled at you before knowing all the facts. I was just really worried." Her amber eyes looked into mine. "I really care about you, y'know."

I smiled. "I really care about you, too."

Heather took a step closer, and her eyes seemed to shine in the moonlight. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of topaz. I blinked when I realized we were only a few inches apart. How the heck did we get so close?! My heart was racing at a mile a minute, and was speeding up more and more. I looked down and noticed something. "So, you found the necklace?"

Heather nodded. "It's beautiful. Thank you." We were so close now that we were almost touching. I was panicked, yet calm at the same time. I closed my eyes. _This is a dream, right? It has to be a-_

I felt her soft lips touch mine, and my eyes shot open. Heather was kissing me! It's an absolute dream come true! I closed my eyes again and deepened the kiss. Her arms slid behind my neck, pulling me closer. I wrapped my own around her waist. When we finally parted for air, we smiled at each other.

"I love you, Kit."

"I love you too, Mike."

Mike...I've never been called that before. It was always Mikey or Michelangelo, never Mike. Mike sounded grown-up. I like it. As we kissed again, I heard footsteps. I really don't care right now. For me, there is no past and there is no future. Right now it's just me and Heather.

"Mikey?! Kit?!"

We both turned around to see Leo, Donnie, and Raph standing there, their eyes in shocked white circles.

Great way to ruin the moment, guys!


	21. Chapter 21

**They're almost there! Just one state left! Please review!**

Heather's POV:

Mikey glared at his brothers. "Dudes!" He yelled. "Can't you see we're kinda busy?!"

I blushed. They saw us kiss...they saw me kiss their little brother...I was kind of frozen in place for a minute. "H-how did you find out where we were?"

Donnie snapped out of his daze. "Simple, actually. I traced your text. Can't believe I didn't think of it sooner, actually."

I facepalmed. Stupid me, stupid texts! Mikey crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, if you came to drag us back, you're outa luck. 'Cause we are not going back to NYC without Kit's mom."

Raph rolled his eyes. "We're not going to take you back. Not when we're only a state away from the Kraang's L.A. Base."

"Speaking of bases..." The orange ninja said, completely changing the subject. "You want to show them the mini-lair?"

I gave a silent nod, and the boys started follow us to Checkpoint 14.

* * *

As we walked through the sewers, Mikey looked at me in concern. "Kit? You alright?"

I nodded. "Fine."

"You sure? You're looking kinda pale. Something wrong?"

I sighed. "Just...your brothers saw us..." I whispered.

"Yeah? So?" His voice grew softer. "Unless you're embarrassed that you kissed an idiot..."

I shook my head. "No! You're not an idiot! I...just...think I'm not good enough in their eyes..."

Mikey put his arm around my shoulder. "Kit, you're fine. Even if they don't think you're perfect, who cares? I think you are." He kissed my cheek, and I smiled.

"Thanks, Mike."

We got to the wall, and Mikey looked at his brothers. "Here we are!"

Donnie crossed his arms. "Um, not to be a stickler for details here, but...that's a wall."

I giggled. "Want to do the honors, Mike?"

"With pleasure!" He said, smirking. The three other boys stared in amazement as the "wall" opened.

As soon as we were inside, they started exploring the place. I sighed and sat on the couch. "Great. How am I going to work this out?"

"Work what out?" Mikey said, sitting next to me.

"Sleeping! It's still one-thirty in the morning! There's Mom's bed, and Leo could take that. Raph could take my bed, and Donnie could use the guest bed that pops out of the wall, but where are we going to sleep? You see, three beds for five people doesn't really work.

He turned red and looked at his hands. "Y'know...you and I could cuddle on the couch..like we did on the roof back in Springfield...unless you mind, I mean. If you don't want to that's totally okay!"

I smiled. "You liked that night, didn't you?"

"...yeah."

"Alright then. That's settled." I said. I laughed as he fist-pumped the air.

* * *

The next morning, around six, I woke up. Mikey's strong arms were wrapped around my waist, and his chin was rested on the top of my head. I patted his arm. "Mike, time to get up."

He slowly opened his eyes and stretched. "Morning, Kit. Sleep well?"

I nodded. "You?"

"Yep."

Just then, Raph walked by. He smirked. "Shouldn't you two wait until you're married?"

"For what?" Mikey asked, cluelessly innocent as ever. I, on the other hand, knew what Raph meant.

I glared. "Shut up, Raph. Mikey's too nice to do something like that! And I was raised better!"

"Relax, I was just teasing! So, what's with the cuddles on the couch?"

We both sat up. I smiled. "Because cuddles get you boyfriend points, and boyfriend points get you kisses." I turned and gave Mikey a kiss on the lips, and he blushed.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Geez, enough with the mushiness."

"Don't like it, don't ask for it." My boyfriend and I said simultaneously.

* * *

Karai's POV:

I woke up at seven to see April on her laptop. "What's up, April?"

"Oh, you're awake." She turned the laptop around so I could see. "I've been tracking the boys' T-phones so we know where they are."

"Sweet." I looked closely. "Hey, they're already at California."

April nodded and shut the laptop. "Which means we need to get moving."

"Couldn't agree more, princess."


	22. Chapter 22

**Finally! L.A.! We're not at the rescue point yet, but it's coming! Please review!**

Leo's POV:

We'd been driving since 6:30 in the morning, and had finally crossed the border by seven. Truth to be told, I was downright bored. On top of that, the radio was busted by a certain little brother of mine who accidentally hit it.

Mikey was sitting in his usual spot by the maps, and Heather was sitting on the floor next to him. I still can't believe they're together! Mikey, of all people, was the first to get a girlfriend!

Mikey looked down at Heather. "Hey, Kit, you still got that ukelele?"

"Yep!"

I'm not even going to ask.

"Can you play it?"

"I-if you want me to..."

She started strumming a ukelele she pulled out of her backpack. I recognized the tune immediately, and Mikey started singing along.

_Hold on to me as we go_

_As we roll down this unfamiliar road_

Donnie smiled and joined in. _As this wave keeps pulling us along_

Eh, might as well. _Just know you're not alone_

_'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home_

Raph shrugged. "Why not?" He added his voice to the song.

_Settle down, it'll all be clear_

_Don't pay no mind to the demons, they fill you with fear_

_The trouble, it might drag you down_

_If you get lost you can always be found_

_Just know you're not alone_

_'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home_

Everyone was smiling by now.

_Oo-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Oo-o-o-o_

_Oo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Aa-a-a-a-a-a-a_

_Aa-a-a-a_

_Aa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a_

_Settle down, it'll all be clear_

_Don't pay no mind to the demons, they fill you with fear_

_The trouble, it might drag you down_

_If you get lost you can always be found_

_Just know you're not alone_

_'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home_

* * *

Heather's POV:

We got to Los Angeles at roughly one o' clock. We were going to Chic-fil-a for lunch (Mikey insisted), then locate the Kraang base and figure out what to do from there.

The three boys had something that surprised me. Apparently the watches on their wrists could turn them temporarily human. Donnie invented it. He said that he had no control over what your human form would look like, only that it's what you'd look like if you were born human. I think it analyses the human side of the turtles' genetic codes.

Leo was about 5' 10", with blonde hair and a slight beach tan. He didn't have any scars that I could see.

Raph was 5' 8 1/2", and had a dark tan and black hair. A thunderbolt-shaped scar ran down his chest (He took off his red polo complaining that it was too hot), and he had the most muscle.

Donnie was 6' exactly. He had light skin and curly brown Italian-style hair. When he smiled, I saw that he was still missing one of his front teeth.

Mikey was ecstatic when he got his. He was grinning from ear to ear, with his little spazz-out bubbles surrounding him. As he pressed the button, there was a flash of light. When my vision returned, I stared.

He had dirty-blonde, messy hair and lots of freckles on his cheeks, and was about 5' 7". He had a beach tan darker than Leo's. "Well? What do you think, Kit?"

I smiled. "You're pretty cute as a human, but I like you as a turtle better." I deactivated his watch and planted a kiss on his green cheek. Donnie sighed, Raph gagged, and Leo laughed. *Sigh* Boys...

We walked into Chic-fil-a with the boys in human form (it was a hassle getting Raph to put his shirt back on), and I pulled out my ATM card. "Alright, boys. Whaddya want?"

Leo crossed his arms. "How about the grilled chicken? That sounds pretty good to me."

"I want the regular one." Donnie said.

Raph scanned over the menu on the wall. "Wait, they have spicy? I'm taking that one!"

"I'll have the double layered!" Mikey exclaimed.

I nodded and went up to the counter. The lady behind the counter smiled. "Welcome to Chic-fil-a! What'll it be?"

"One grilled chicken sandwich, one regular, one double regular, one spicy, and one fried. And can I have five large lemonades with that?"

"Sure." She typed it in. "That'll be $25.87."

"Thank you!" I walked back to the table and sat down.

Raph frowned. "Where's lunch?"

"It's coming. Hang on to your shells. They still have to cook the stuff."

"But that's the thing..." Mikey said good-humoredly. "We don't have shells anymore!"

Leo rolled his eyes. "We can only stay like this for an hour before it wears off."

I caught Donnie staring out the window. I looked at him curiously. "Hey, what's up?" I followed his line of vision to see the red light outside turn green, and the cars zoom by. "You see something?"

The former turtle nodded. "Yeah. Just now, I could've sworn I saw Karai and April in the same car. But that's rediculous! They hate each other, and they're hundreds of miles away from here!"

I shrugged. "Maybe they have dopplegangers."

"You really believe in that stuff?"

"No, I'm just lightening the mood. Relax. April's fine."

* * *

April's POV:

"Karai, what are you doing?" I asked annoyedly. "We passed them!"

Karai nodded. "You said they're going to rescue Heather's mom from this city, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"If we beat them to the Kraang base, we can help them out. You know, give them a signal or something so they know where to look." She smirked. "And besides, we can save their butts when they get themselves captured. Because you know they're going to get captured."

I smiled. "I never thought I'd say this, but I like how you think, Karai."


	23. Chapter 23

**The final chapter has arrived! Please review!**

Heather's POV:

It's 6:30 and the sun is setting. The boys had switched back to their turtle forms, being too unbalanced to do ninjitsu without their shells. I looked at Donnie with his T-phone. "Any luck yet?"

"Nope...wait! I got something!"

I looked over his shoulder to see a red blip on the map. He zoomed in. "Hey! There's a message, too!"

_Hey guys_

_Heard you were looking for the Kraang base_

_Well, here it is!_

_-Two kunoichi that like to get on your nerves_

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's a weird penname."

"Tell me about it."

* * *

Mikey's POV:

We finally got to the Kraang base. What's really weird is that it's shaped just like the first one we raided a year ago. And, of course, Leo was thinking of a plan.

"So, four of us will climb up the wall on the side over here-" He said, pointing to a map he'd drawn. "While one of us goes out front to distract them. Once we're in, we'll break into the control room, find Professor Jade, and send someone to hit the security button on the other side of the building. Now, who's going to be the distraction?"

Heather raised her hand. "I will."

I shook my head. "No, I will."

"I can do it, Mike."

"I don't want you getting hurt."

"I won't get hurt." She said before leaning over and kissing my cheek. "Trust me."

I sighed. Stubborn Mikey has met his match: Stubborn Girlfriend. "Just...be careful..."

"I will."

Now that everyone knew the plan, we headed out for the Kraang building.

Heather split away from us and jumped in front of the front guards. "HEY KRAANG!"

The Kraangdroids turned to face her. She smirked. "Guess what?!" She held up a glowing red device (It was a soda can with red glow stocks taped to it, but they didn't know that!). "I GOT A BOMB!"

The Kraang successfully distracted with the "bomb", the four of us turtles started climbing the walls.

Once we got to the top, I pulled out my kusarigama chain and jumped through a hole in the roof. "BOOYAKASHA!"

I took out six Kraang in one swing. Man, I am on a roll today! The rest of my bros jumped in, and we began operation Get Jade.

* * *

Donnie's POV:

Things went according to plan, surprisingly. Heather's apparently good at distractions. I hacked into the Kraang computer, and saw Professor Jade in one of the cells. "Karta, you're on alarms. Mon, you guard the computers. Tanda, you and me go after Jade."

As I left, I didn't realize I had pressed the release button on one of the cells.

* * *

Raph's POV:

I walked over to the other side of the enemy lair and smirked. Five Kraangdroids stood there. I charged into battle, easily sending the little brain squids scurrying for their lives. "Piece of cake." I walked over to the alarm, hit it, and drew my sais. Oh, this would be fun.

* * *

Leo's POV:

I didn't really have an eventful role in this plan. All I could do was guard the computers. Raph's probably having way more fun right now.

Suddenly, my highly trained ninja ears picked up the sound of claws clicking on metal. It was faint...whoever was the owner of those claws was walking in circles around me. I heard the smallest of growls, and realized something.

I was being hunted.

I drew my Katana blades and listened for the soft padding of the whatever-it-was's feet.

I heard a feral snarl, and crossed my swords in defense as something gold lunged at me.

* * *

Mikey's POV:

I ran down the hallway with Donnie until we got to cell 284...I think. I looked in the redtint window. Sure enough, a middle-aged-lady, somewhere in her 30's, was sitting in there. "Hey!" I called. She looked up. Good, the cells aren't soundproof. "Are you Mrs. Jade?"

Mrs. Jade nodded. "Who are you? Did the Kraang let you go or did you escape?"

"I'm Michelangelo, and the answer is neither. It all started-OW!" Donnie hit me on the back of the head. "What was that for?!"

Donnie frowned as he began to pick the lock. "We don't have time for backstories, Mikey!"

"Oh. Yeah. Right." I looked back at Mrs. Jade. "Don't worry! Donnie's picking the lock!"

Donnie connected a wire. "Got it!" The door slid open, and I held out my hand.

"Come on, let's go!"

She looked at me warily. I sighed. "We're friends of Kit, alright?"

"You know my daughter?!"

"Yeah, she and I traveled from New York to get here now let's go!"

I grabbed her hand and threw down a smoke bomb, and we reappeared in front of the gate. Donnie presently appeared next to us, followed by Raph. Heather ran up to us. "Guys!" She saw her mom, and smiled huge. "MOM!" The two ran to each other and hugged.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too."

Just then, the Kraang (upon discovering the "bomb's" real parts) started shooting at us. I stepped defensively in front of the Jades and twirled my nunchucks, blocking the energy beams as more Kraang surrounded us. Man, I hope Heather thinks this looks cool.

* * *

Leo's POV:

The cat-thing was hot on my tail. It seemed to think I was it's next meal. I ran out the front gate, instinctively dashing over to my brothers, and unintentionally giving the giant lion mutant more targets. The Kraang stopped shooting for a moment.

This mutant was about the size of Fishface, and it walked on all fours. Its fangs were razor-sharp, and its claws looked ready to tear me to pieces. It licked its jaws hungrily, and with a shake of his mane, lunged and pinned me to the ground.

"HEY!"

The lion mutant yelped and jumped off of me, clawing at its muzzle. I got up to see a familiar face. "Karai?!"

Karai smirked. "In person."

"What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be in New York! How did you get here?! Why did you save me?!"

"Okay. Saving you, I don't care, I drove, and without you around, my life is boring." She sheathed her Katana and put her hands on her hips. "You think I'm going to let some giant freaky wildcat kill you? That's my pleasure alone!"

Raph deflected a few lazer beams. "Great! Just what we need! Shredder's daughter!"

Karai rolled her eyes. "I'll take that as a thank-you."

* * *

Donnie's POV:

I gulped. More and more Kraang were closing in on us, and on top of that, Leo was busy in a chat with Karai! Not to mention the mutant wildcat that would recover any second! Things did not look good...

I fought several Kraang at once, revealing the blade hidden in my staff. Mikey was using his kusarigama, Heather was using her spear, and Mrs. Jade was doing...Judo? Well, whatever works for her!

A Kraang suddenly grabbed me and pointed a lazer gun at my neck. I braced myself.

Nothing happened.

The Kraang fell to my feet, its head severed by a tessen.

Wait, a tessen?!

April smiled at me. "Need a hand, Donnie?"

"Wha-how did you get here?!"

"Karai drove. Now lets' go!"

* * *

Mikey's POV:

We fought off the last of the Kraangdroids just as the giant mutant monster got back up. It snarled and started chasing me. I ran in circles. "GAH! HELP ME!" As I ran, Dr. Nameinstein started thinking up possible names for it.

The mutant suddenly fell to the ground unconscious. I looked up to see Heather smiling, the flat of her blade on the lion-guy's head. "Thanks, Kit!"

"No prob!"

I looked at Donnie. "Hey, Donnie, I'm just curious, but is a lion a cat?"

"Yeah, it's a feline. Why?"

Bingo! "And Catfight goes down!"

"...Catfight?"

"You know, 'cause it's a cat, and it likes to-"

"I get it."

Heather cheered. "We won! We got mom back, got rid of the Kraang, and defeated Catfight! WEWONWEWONWEWON!" Just then, her leg gave out, and she fell. "Ow..."

I rushed over to her. "Kit, you okay?!"

"Yeah...I'm good..."

I touched the bottom half of her leg, and my hand came back red.

* * *

Heather's POV:

"And that's what happened." I said after finally telling mom what the events of the past month and a half were. All eight of us were in the Shellraiser, headed back to NYC. Karai was up being a backseat driver to Leo, and April was at the computers. Donnie took bandages and carefully wrapped the gash in my lower leg, making me wince as he put on antiseptic.

"Well," Mom said. "Looks like you had fun, didn't you?"

"Sure mom."

She looked at Donnie as he finished up my leg. "So, you're Donatello, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"And you're a scientist?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Mom pulled a USB flashdrive out of her pocket. "Then maybe you could make use of this little thing I swiped off a Kraangdroid."

The purple ninja stared. "You, ma'am, are full of surprises."

"I do try."

* * *

That night, as we stopped for a sleeping break, I stepped outside to look at the stars. "I can see them a lot better with no light pollution. Orion's bright tonight."

I heard footsteps, and I already knew who it was.

"Hey Kit."

"Hey Mike."

Mikey walked up next to me. "Whatcha doing?"

"Stargazing." I looked up and automatically started pointing them out. "Orion, Scorpio, Cassiopeia, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor...which one do you think's the brightest?"

He cupped my cheek and looked at me. "Well, I see stars in your eyes. Does that count?"

I giggled. "Maybe."

Mikey smiled and pulled me into a deep, passionate kiss. My eyes widened. "Mike?" I squeaked. He smiled a little more.

"Shh...don't talk..." He whispered against my lips. I closed my eyes and let him have control of this one.

We eventually had to part for air. When we did, I looked up at him. "Hey, Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember how a few weeks ago I said my favorite color was green?"

"Yeah."

I smiled. "I changed my mind. Orange is my new favorite color."


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Karai's POV:

I walked into Shredder's throne room. "You wanted to see me, father?"

"Yes." He did not sound happy. "I understand you traveled across the country to help the turtles. Why is that?"

I smirked to myself. "I needed something to do. The vendetta thing is getting a bit old, and-"

"SILENCE!" He boomed. "There is nothing more to life than getting rid of the stain on our family's honor!"

Family...suddenly, I remembered what April had said about her side of the Splinter-Shredder backstory. "Father, may I ask a question?"

"What is it?"

"What was my mother like?"

Shredder sighed. "She was beautiful, charming, and had a lovely voice."

"What was her name?"

"That is none of your concern."

Something's not right here...I looked at the picture of Yoshi, Tang-Shen, and Miwa I'd taken from Leo when he wasn't looking. "Was her name...Tang-Shen?"

Shredder visibly tensed. "Where did you learn that name?"

Bingo.

I studied the picture closely. I then pulled out a picture of Oroku Saki when he was younger. Odd that I look nothing like him. I looked back at the Hamato family.

Yoshi's eyes were the same color as mine, and Tang-Shen's face looked similar to my own. Reality hit me like a bullet train. I stood up. "You're not really my father, are you?" I asked. Shredder stood up.

"What are you talking about?"

"I asked a question."

"You do not talk to me this way, Karai!"

I glared at him. "My name's not Karai, is it?! It's Hamato Miwa, isn't it?!" I felt rage build up inside of me. I drew my Katana, and fought my so-called "father". "YOU LIED TO ME!" I shouted. "YOU'VE BEEN LYING TO ME MY ENTIRE LIFE!" I knocked his helmet off, and pressed the blade to his throat. "I should do the world a favor and kill you now."

He glared. "Then do it, _Miwa!"_

I shook my head. "No. I'm a better person than you are, _Saki." _In a flash, I withdrew my sword and punched a pressure point in his temple, knocking him out cold. I stood up and sheathed my blade.

As I left, Bradford and Xever stared at me speechlessly. I had just done the impossible. I had beaten Oroku Saki in a fight. I glared at them. "You come after me, and you're next." I said menacingly.

And with that, I walked away.

**What do you think? Should I make a sequel? Please review!**


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